Russian, Iranian top diplomats discuss outcome of Sochi Syrian Congress, preparations for Caspian Summit

MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif have discussed the implementation of the decisions made at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress held in Sochi and preparations for the Fifth Caspian Summit due in Kazakhstan, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. "The parties exchanged views on pressing global and regional issues, focusing on the implementation of the decisions made at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress held in Sochi and preparations for the Fifth Caspian Summit, scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan later in the year," the statement reads. Sochi Syrian Congress Participants in the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, held in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, adopted a 12-point statement outlining their positions on their country’s future. The document stipulates that Syria should maintain its sovereignty and territorial integrity, at the same time pointing out that the Syrian people hold the prerogative to determine the country’s future through elections The Syrians also requested United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres to assist them in setting up a constitutional commission, the mandate of which will be specified at the Geneva talks. According to organizers, the Sochi Syrian Congress brought together 1,511 delegates representing all strata of Syrian society. Most of the participants (94.5%) were Arabs but there were also Kurds, Yazidis, Assyrians, Armenians, Circassians, Chechens, Dagestanis, Abkhazians, Turkomans and the Druze. Key regional and global players had been invited to attend the event as observers. Caspian Sea status For many years, agreements between the Russian Empire (later replaced by the Soviet Union) and Iran defined the legal status of the Caspian Sea. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan emerged as subjects of international law and it became necessary for the five countries to agree on the status of the Caspian Sea. The Caspian states continue to negotiate the details of a convention, which is planned to be presented to the heads of state at their summit in Kazakhstan. The legal status of the Caspian Sea remains the key issue discussed at the regional countries’ summits. The five countries’ leaders held their first meeting in Turkmenistan’s capital of Ashgabat in 2002. The second Caspian summit was held in the Iranian capital of Tehran in 2007, while Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku hosted the third summit in 2010, and Russia’s Astrakhan hosted the fourth summit in 2014.