The presidents of the Caspian Sea littoral states have signed their first joint political statement during a summit held in Tehran.

The Iranian President read out the summit’s statement and described the agreements as a milestone in developing cooperation among the littoral countries.

According to the declaration, the littoral states agreed to hold a joint economic conference next year which will be organized by the Russian President in Moscow.

The Caspian Sea states also agreed that their foreign ministers hold a meeting every six months.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad described the Caspian Sea as the sea of peace and solidarity and added that the reached agreement could serve as a model for regional cooperation.

The five countries agreed that only the littoral states have the right to access Caspian Sea resources and that the sea should only be used for peaceful purposes.

The parties emphasized that under no circumstances would they allow their territories to be used by a third country to carry out military actions against one of the other parties.

The statement by the five states also supported the rights of the signatories of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to research, produce and use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes without discrimination and within the framework of the treaty and the IAEA.

The parties also agreed to deal with environmental issues and fight terrorism and drug trafficking.