ArmInfo. Armenia may well take advantage of the Caspian basin. On May 13 in Yerevan at the conference "The Caspian Sea - a Sea of Opportunities", initiated by the Embassy of Turkmenistan in Armenia and dedicated to the First Caspian Economic Forum, which will be held on August 12 in "Avaza" National tourist zone, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Armenia Timur Urazayev stated.
The diplomat during his speech stressed the commitment of Kazakhstan to the development of economic projects in the Caspian Sea region. "For Kazakhstan, as well as for Turkmenistan, it is very important from an economic point of view. It is a region with transport, logistics and natural potential. The Caspian region has very powerful resources for the development of the Eurasian region as a whole, and if you take into account the proximity of the Persian Gulf, in general, the region contains about 70% of world oil reserves and 40% of gas. With this in mind, all transport projects that are planned to be implemented or are already being implemented through the territory of the Caspian region have great prospects. In particular, these are the North-South and West-East corridors, including TRACECA and other corridors, to which both Kazakhstan and other Caspian countries are paying serious attention, "the diplomat emphasized.
According to him, it is not accidental that this forum is being held on August 12, on the anniversary of the signing of the already historic document - the Treaty on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, which dotted all about using the resources of the Caspian Sea and using coastal riches as well as and other pressing issues, including the burning issue of the use of military forces in the Caspian waters basin.
"Therefore, the upcoming forum will be a great contribution to the development of the economic sector of the Caspian states. I am sure that the neighboring countries of the region, including Armenia, may well take advantage of the Caspian basin, because the connection between large Asian markets and large European markets, since it belongs to the region of the Caspian basin ", Urazayev concluded.
To note, on August 12, 2019, the first Caspian Economic Forum will be held in the Avaza National Tourist Zone of Turkmenbashi, in which members of governments, heads of ministries and departments from all Caspian states and the entire region are expected to attend. The purpose of the Forum is to create conditions for large projects, a discussion about the role of the economy of the Caspian region in a global context, investment attractiveness in the fields of industry, energy, agriculture, trade, tourism and other industries of the Caspian littoral states of mutual interest. The first such forum in history within the largest region of the world, which is the Caspian basin, was initiated by President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow the IV Summit of the Heads of the Caspian littoral states, held on September 30, 2014 in Astrakhan (Russian Federation).
This initiative is based on the fundamental vision of Turkmenistan of the strategic importance of the Caspian Sea in regional and interregional geopolitical and geo-economic processes, and its role as an important transit-transport and logistics hub, necessitating further joint efforts of the Caspian states. The development of fruitful cooperation with the countries of the Caspian region has been and remains a principled position, and in this regard it is among the priority vectors of the foreign policy of Turkmenistan. The agenda of the First Caspian Economic Forum will cover a wide range of issues that will later form the basis of promising areas of interaction between the participating states. It is assumed that such topical issues regarding the intensification of trade and economic relations, including the creation of conditions for the development and implementation of large-scale projects, will be proposed for consideration for the exchange of views and constructive discussion.
On the margins of the Forum, it is also planned to hold the International Exhibition of Innovative Technologies of the Caspian States on August 11-12, 2019, which is intended to become a center for establishing business contacts and getting acquainted with new technologies, services and solutions in various areas of the economy, including the fuel and energy sector, transport and logistics , industry, commerce, tourism and many other areas.