A meeting of authorized representatives of the Caspian littoral states is taking place at the Caspian Sea Institute in Ashgabat from October 27 to 28. Participants are discussing a draft agreement on cooperation in the field of marine scientific research in the Caspian Sea, according to the press service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

The document is being developed in accordance with an initiative put forward by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov, at the Fifth Caspian Summit in Aktau on 12 August 2018. The initiative provides for the creation of a legal framework for joint scientific research by the five Caspian littoral states.

Previous rounds of negotiations focused on agreeing on common approaches to the draft. At the current meeting, the parties will continue working on its provisions.