Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend A.Gasimova, D.Khatinoglu / The meeting presided by the Russian President, Vladimir Putin , to discuss the economic issues of Caspian should take place in summer 2008 in Russia, the President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad , said on 16 October in Iran at the press-conference as a result of the Caspian Summit.
According to him, before the Moscow discussions, a meeting headed by the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev , will take place to discuss the security issues in the Caspian Sea. During the meeting, the Foreign Ministers of the five Caspian littoral countries will devise security convention of the Caspian Sea.
According to Ahmadinejad , the Caspian State Heads agree that Caspian should be sea of peace and friendship. The territory of the Caspian Sea may not be used as place of attack by any country. "The Caspian Sea may not be used for the transit of the narcotics and arms. The fishing, shipping and transit through the Caspian Sea should be implemented under the official flag of the Caspian countries and through respect for rights of other countries," said the President of Iran.
A summit of 5 Caspian littoral countries, including Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, began in Tehran on 16 October. The key topic of the summit is to determine the legal status of the Caspian Sea. The declaration was signed by the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. The declaration is the first official document signed by the Caspian littoral countries with regards to the legal status of the Caspian Sea.