After the welcoming ceremony, Nursultan Nazarbayev and the Presidents of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani, the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin, the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov have taken part in the plenary session of the Fifth Caspian Summit, reports akorda.kz.

Speaking with the key report, the President of Kazakhstan emphasized the role of the previous Caspian summits, which gave the necessary political impetus to the negotiation process and stimulated the achievement of consensus on the differences in positions.

The Head of State pointed out that the Caspian region has a unique history and diverse culture. Significant human resources and the richest natural resources are concentrated here. The sea also has an important geopolitical significance due to its favourable location.

- To date, the Caspian countries have great potential and are developing dynamically. The total population of our states is about 240 million people. All that has made it necessary to jointly resolve the entire range of issues related to the Caspian Sea, Nursultan Nazarbayev said.

The President of Kazakhstan noted that the Convention is the principal comprehensive document regulating the rights and obligations of the parties with respect to the Caspian Sea, including its waters, the bottom, subsoil, natural resources and airspace. In this context, Nursultan Nazarbayev emphasized that special attention was paid to issues of ensuring security, preventing and preventing the consequences of emergencies and military activities of the Caspian states.

The Head of State has separately dwelled on the fundamental principles of the activities of the Convention’s member countries. Among them is transformation of the Caspian Sea into a zone of peace, good-neighbourliness and friendship; its use for peaceful purposes; respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity;  lack of presence of armed forces on the Caspian Sea that do not belong to the parties.

The President of Kazakhstan stressed that the Convention opens up broad prospects for strengthening peaceful cooperation in the Caspian, and announced a number of additional measures in this direction.

- The proximity of the Caspian Sea to areas of political instability requires the Caspian states to establish mutually beneficial and effective cooperation in the field of security. I propose to conclude a five-sided agreement on confidence-building measures in the field of military activities, the President of Kazakhstan said.

In the context of further developing investment cooperation and implementing projects in the energy and exploration sector, Nursultan Nazarbayev stated that it is necessary to make full use of the possibilities of the Convention and the documents to be inked.

In the context of increasing transport and transit capacities, the President of Kazakhstan proposed to optimize the tariff policy and improve transportation conditions in the Convention’s member countries.

- In order to preserve the unique ecological system of the Caspian Sea, it is necessary to adopt a separate document to combat the illegal fishing of biological resources, the Head of State said.

In conclusion, Nursultan Nazarbayev noted that the signing of the Convention and a number of bilateral documents is evidence of friendly relations between the Caspian states and a joint desire to closely cooperate and show respect for the Caspian Sea.

- I express my gratitude to my colleagues - the heads of state, as well as the ad hoc working group on the development of the Convention for a very large amount of work done. Without each of you, we would not be able to achieve today's success. I am confident that the results of Aktau Summit will make a worthy contribution to the advancement of our multifaceted cooperation in the Caspian Sea, the President of Kazakhstan concluded.

“The Qazaq Times”