Turkmenistan hosts Caspian states' talks on marine scientific research agreement

A new meeting of authorised representatives of the Caspian states has opened in Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan. The session, held on 27 October at the Caspian Sea Institute, is focused on a draft agreement on cooperation in marine scientific research in the Caspian Sea among the governments of the Caspian states. The news was reported on the website of Turkmenistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The draft is being prepared in line with a proposal made by Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty and national leader of the Turkmen people, at the V Caspian Summit in Aktau on 12 August 2018. At that summit, he proposed a separate five-party agreement to create a systematic legal basis for joint marine research in the Caspian Sea. Earlier stages of negotiations confirmed that all coastal states are interested in developing common approaches.

The meeting is expected to help the parties make progress on the remaining provisions of the draft. The work of the authorised representatives is scheduled to conclude on 28 October 2026.