The five heads of state of the nations that make up the `Caspian Summit’—Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Turkmenistan—met in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, June 29, to discuss regional cooperation across a wide range of areas—military, transportation, energy, law enforcement, infrastructure, and economics, among others. Noting the importance of the Caspian Sea worldwide, the attending heads of state emphasized that the Caspian Sea is a “sea of peace, agreement, good-neighborliness, and fruitful international cooperation.” In their final communique, they stressed their adherence to “the principles and norms of the United Nations Charter and international law.”
In his address to the group, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered an expansive picture of the many opportunities for mutually beneficial cooperation in the region, in industrial production and advanced technology as well as expanding trade and investment. He also highlighted the importance of the Caspian Economic Forum, founded by Turkmenistan’s President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, which held its first forum in 2019 and will next meet in Moscow this fall.
