OREANDA-NEWS. January 14, 2007. The second meeting of the Interagency Commission for the Caspian Sea was held in Ashkhabad. The high-ranking officials and specialists of the national ministries, departments and research institutions took part in the meeting held on the instructions of President Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov.

The Commission summed up the activity in 2007. The report on the key aspects and the progress of the negotiating process on the Caspian Sea-related problems was presented. Emphasis was put on implementation of the agreements reached at the Caspian Summit, which was held in Tehran on October 16, 2007.

The Commission considered the specific issues related to the activity in the Caspian Sea. The participants focused on elaboration of a systematic approach to the relevant problems. In particular, last year the State Enterprise for the Caspian Sea under President of Turkmenistan in collaboration with the national ministries and departments concerned drafted the national action plan. The draft action plan was discussed and approved by the Commission. In the nearest future the action plan would be submitted to the President of Turkmenistan for consideration.

The agenda of the meeting included drafting the Convention of the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. Emphasis was put on the significance of the document as the basic factor of international co-operation in the Caspian Sea and implementation of the potential of the unique water body.

The discussion was focused on the cartographical and geodesic aspects of the negotiating process between Turkmenistan and the Caspian states. The proposals on drafting the conceptual documents aimed at developing Turkmenistan’s fishing industry were considered as well.