Russian, Iranian Leaders Against Outside Military Presence on the Caspian

Oct 16, 06:52 PM

Current Headlines: Text of report by corporate-owned Russian news agency Interfax

Tehran, 16 October: The presidents of Russia and Iran confirm the two sides' aspiration to solve all the issues arising on the Caspian Sea solely by peaceful means, through cooperation on equal footing between the five Caspian states, reads the leaders' joint statement issued following Vladimir Putin's working visit to Iran.

The two countries' presidents "agree that the relevant norms of the agreements of 1921 and 1940 between Iran and the former Soviet Union remain in force until there is a convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea," reads the statement.

The sides invite the other Caspian states to start talks, as soon as possible, on issues of cooperation in maintaining peace and strengthening the security and stability on the Caspian. "They advocate the exclusion from the Caspian of military presence of non- Caspian states," reads the statement by Putin and Ahmadinezhad.

Originally published by Interfax news agency, Moscow, in Russian 1806 16 Oct 07.

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