Iran, Russia Oppose Presence of Foreign Forces in Caspian Sea as Serious Threat to Region

(FNA)- Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari and his Russian counterpart Admiral Viktor Chirkov in a meeting in St. Petersburg voiced strong opposition to the deployment of foreign forces in the Caspian Sea as a serious threat to regional security.

During the meeting on Saturday, the two commanders underlined that security of the Caspian Sea can only be ensured by the five littoral states of Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan, and said the presence of any foreign force in the Caspian Sea poses a serious threat to the regional security.

They also discussed the important security issues in the Caspian Sea.

In relevant remarks in September, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on the Caspian Sea littoral states to prevent the presence and deployment of trans-regional states' military forces in the Caspian Sea to maintain peace and stability in the lake.

"We shouldn’t allow the security of the Sea and its coasts depend on variables other than the collective and common interests of the littoral states and the welfare, health and tranquility of its people be affected by these variables; therefore, I propose cooperation in this regard and calling the Sea as the Sea of peace and development," Rouhani said, addressing a summit of five Caspian Sea littoral states in Astarakhan, Russia.

He underlined that guaranteed peace, stability and security of the Caspian Sea depends on fundamental principles, including avoidance of arms race and using armed forces, monopoly of navigation for the vessels which sail under the flags of the littoral states, banning the presence of foreign military forces, freedom of sailing, behavior on the basis of equal footings and finally adopting coordinated policies.