TEHRAN – In a quintet meeting in Saint Petersburg on Friday, commanders of the Caspian Sea littoral states’ navies signed a fresh memorandum of understanding (MOU) to boost their multilateral cooperation in various fields.

Navy commanders of Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in the last day of their 4th meeting of this kind signed the MOU to expand cooperation in various arenas of training, exchange of information, relief and rescue and operational activities.

Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi, the Iranian navy commander, attached significant importance to the newly-agreed MOU, saying, “The all five navy commanders, who participated in the meeting, came to the conclusion that the entire technical, training, repair and maintenance, and producing requirements of level and under-level sea vessels of their navies must be met by the Caspian Sea littoral states.”

The MOU was signed following a recent joint ratification by presidents of the five Caspian Sea littoral states forbidding presence of other countries in the sea.  

In relevant remarks earlier this week, Rear Admiral Khanzadi said that Iran and Russia were planning to hold a joint naval maneuver in the near future.   

MJ/PA