Iranian, Turkmen Presidents Coordinate Stances on Caspian SeaIranian President Mohammad Khatami and his Turkmen counterpart Saparmurad Niyazov coordinated stances on the Caspian Sea Thursday.During a telephone conversation, Khatami stressed the importance of boosting cooperation and understanding among the Caspian states, calling for "a just and collective agreement" on resolving disputes, Iran's IRNA news agency reported. The Caspian Sea is estimated to have the world's third largest reserves of oil and gas after the Persian Gulf and Siberia. Among the five littoral states, Iran and Turkmenistan push for division of the sea into five equal sectors, while Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia insist the sea be divided into national sectors, a move which will leave Iran with the smallest slice. The peace and security in the Caspian region "could only be guaranteed under the cooperation and understanding among the five states," Khatami stressed, urging Tehran and Ashkhabad to strive for strengthening of bilateral relations and establishment of peace and tranquility in the region. Niyazov agreed with Khatami's position, saying that the final solution concerning the Caspian legal regime would depend on the exercise of mutual respect by the coastal states. The five Caspian littoral states have planned to hold a summit in October in the Turkmen capital of Ashkhabad to reach a final agreement to divide the resource-rich sea. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |