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Five littoral states close Caspian Sea for US military
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has cautioned against the military presence of any non-littoral states in the Caspian Sea.
Zarif made the remarks during a meeting of the foreign ministers of Caspian Sea littoral states - Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan - in Moscow on Tuesday.
"Maintaining the Caspian Sea as a body of water of peace, friendship, and stability; refraining from (entering) an arms race; refraining from using the armed forces, and not (allowing) a military presence of non-littoral countries are the major prerequisites for guaranteeing peace and sustainable stability in the region," Zarif said.
Read more: Five littoral states close Caspian Sea for US military - News - Society - Russian RadioOnly five Caspian Sea littoral states - Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan - bear responsibility for the security in the Caspian Sea region, backed his Iranian colleague Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
"If you are talking about countries situated outside of the Caspian Sea region, we have clearly stated during the discussions and the elaboration of documents that the five Caspian Sea littoral states are responsible for the state of affairs in the Caspian Sea region," Lavrov told reporters after the Caspian Sea Littoral States Foreign Ministers Conference.