On October 6, the 2nd Caspian Economic Forum started its work in Moscow, the capital of the Russian Federation.

According to the information given to APA by the Cabinet of Ministers, the Forum was attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ali Asadov, the First Vice-President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mohammad Mohber, the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mishustin, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alikhan Smailov and the Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan Khojamurad Geldimuradov. .

The forum participants first held negotiations in a limited capacity and reviewed the results of the 6th Caspian Summit held in Ashgabat on June 29.

Then the plenary meeting of the 2nd Caspian Economic Forum took place.

Speaking at the meeting, Prime Minister Ali Asadov said that cooperation with the Caspian littoral states has a special place in Azerbaijan's foreign policy strategy.

It was noted that the mutual activity of the Caspian littoral states is based on the principles of mutual consideration of interests, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, as well as non-interference in each other's internal affairs.

Touching on the well-established legal-contract base of sectoral cooperation between the Caspian littoral states, A. Asadov said that this base covers many areas, including security, trade-economic cooperation, transport, environmental issues, as well as other areas of mutual interest.

In this regard, the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, signed in Aktau on August 12, 2018, was characterized as a key document for the comprehensive cooperation of the Caspian littoral countries, and confidence was expressed that its soon coming into force will greatly contribute to future cooperation in all fields in the Caspian.

Touching on the economic indicators of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister noted that according to the results of the 8th month of the current year, economic growth is observed in the country, and positive dynamics are maintained in the field of foreign trade.

"It is a good thing that as the pandemic weakened, the trade turnover of Azerbaijan with the countries of the Caspian region also returned to the growth trajectory", said A. Asadov, adding that during the 8 months of 2022, the trade turnover of Azerbaijan with the countries of the Caspian region increased by more than 45%.

Paying attention to cooperation in the transport-transit sector, the Prime Minister noted that Azerbaijan made an important contribution to the implementation and development of the East-West and North-South international transport corridors passing through the Caspian Sea.

"There is an annual increase in freight transportation from the territory of Azerbaijan through the East-West and North-South corridors.

Thus, during the 8 months of this year, the transit freight through our country on the East-West corridor increased by 20%, and on the North-South route by 33%," said A. Asadov.

The Prime Minister called the Baku International Sea Trade Port the main link of these corridors and pointed out that the volume of transit cargo through the port is increasing every year.

According to A. Asadov, the increasing importance of the Caspian region as a component of international transport corridors also implies the optimization of the role of sea ports.

"In this regard, work is being done to increase the carrying capacity of Baku port from 15 million tons to 25 million tons per year."

Speaking about international transportation over the Caspian Sea, A. Asadov drew attention to the problem of shallowing.

It was noted that there is a need to take urgent measures for the Caspian littoral states to carry out permanent works in the direction of deepening the seabed.

The need to solve this problem was emphasized in order to organize the transportation of goods in full volume.

The first tripartite meeting between Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran held in Baku on September 9 was considered an important step for the development of the North-South international transport corridor.

The Baku Declaration was signed on the results of the meeting, reflecting the readiness of the parties to cooperate and evaluate opportunities to increase the level of transit through the North-South corridor to 15 million tons per year by 2030.

Forum participants were informed about the capabilities of Azerbaijan's civilian cargo fleet, as well as the Baku Shipbuilding Plant, and it was pointed out that all the Caspian littoral states can benefit from its capabilities.

Azerbaijan's important contribution to the efficient use of the Trans-Caspian international transport route was noted.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the new realities formed after the liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan allow expanding the possibilities of transport routes in the region.

"Today we are actively working on the development of regional transport and communication projects.

In this sense, the opening of the Zangezur corridor is of great importance."

The attention of the forum participants was also directed to the communication projects that involve the laying of fiber-optic cables from Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan through the bottom of the Caspian Sea.

It was reported that recently the leading telecommunication operators of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan signed a memorandum on strategic partnership on the relevant project in Astana.

It was also emphasized that the Caspian littoral states have great opportunities to increase cooperation in the field of energy.

A. Asadov noted that hydrocarbon production was successfully carried out in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea and said that Russian and Iranian companies were also involved in this process.

The Prime Minister also noted the agreement reached between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on the joint exploration and development of the "Dostluq" hydrocarbon field in the Caspian Sea.

It was pointed out that Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan use Azerbaijan's transport and pipeline infrastructure for the transit of their energy resources.

Touching on the environmental problems, the Prime Minister said that Azerbaijan shares the concern of the Caspian littoral states regarding this issue and makes active efforts to minimize the negative effects on the environment of the Caspian Sea.

It was reported that the 6th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea is planned to be held in Baku in October.

The Prime Minister said that Azerbaijan is ready to make all efforts for the development of multilateral cooperation for the welfare of the peoples of the Caspian littoral states.

The Communiqué of the 2nd Caspian Economic Forum on the results of the plenary session was signed.