"This historic document demonstrates the importance of regional cooperation, which is vital for maintaining international peace and security," the spokesman added.

Iran Press- United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the signing of a Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, the secretary general’s spokesman said in a statement.

Guterres welcomed the signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, saying: "This historic document demonstrates the importance of regional cooperation, which is vital for maintaining international peace and security".

The UN secretary general was quoted by Russia's TASS news agency as saying:  "The Convention should prove invaluable in regulating a wide range of longstanding issues among the Caspian Sea littoral states and is a significant step in the easing of regional tensions. I take this opportunity to congratulate the five signatory countries on this landmark achievement of regional cooperation and multilateralism".

The presidents of the five Caspian states (Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan) singed the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, which had been agreed on by the five states’ foreign ministers at their Moscow meeting in December 2017, at the Fifth Caspian summit held in Kazakhstan’s city of Aktau. Besides, several documents on regional cooperation were also signed.

At the signing ceremony of the convention that was held after the summit, President Hassan Rouhani of the Islamic Republic of Iran, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation, President Nursultan Nazarbayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan, President Ilham Aliyev of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov of the Republic of Turkmenistan were present.

High-ranking officials of the five Caspian Sea littoral states also signed 6 cooperation documents in the presence of the heads of state of the five countries.

Protocol of cooperation in the fight against terrorism in the Caspian Sea, protocol on cooperation in the fight against organised crime in the Caspian Sea, agreement between the governments of the Caspian Sea littoral states on economic cooperation, agreement between the governments of Caspian Sea littoral states in the field of transportation, agreement in preventing accidents in the Caspian Sea, and protocol on cooperation and interaction of the border authorities of the Caspian Sea countries were the documents that were signed by the five countries in order to further strengthen their cooperation in the Caspian Sea region.

Read more: