Baku, Azerbaijan, July 17
Trend:
The summit of the heads of the Caspian countries will be held on August 12 in Aktau, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said July 17, RIA Novosti reported.
"Currently, foreign ministries of all five Caspian littoral states, namely Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia and Turkmenistan are actively working on preparations for the fifth Caspian summit, which is scheduled to take place on August 12 in Aktau", Abdrakhmanov told reporters.
He noted that, "all states have confirmed their participation through diplomatic channels."
The convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea is a five-sided document between Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Iran.
The issue of the status of the Caspian Sea remains a key topic of discussion at the summits of the states of the region.
For the first time, the leaders of the five countries met in 2002 in Ashgabat. The second Caspian summit was held in Tehran in 2007, the third - in Baku in 2010, and the fourth - in Astrakhan in 2014.
In particular, the difficulties in determining the status of the Caspian Sea are related to its recognition as a sea or lake, the delimitation of which is regulated by different provisions of international law.