TEHRAN – Iranian naval commander Admiral Shalam Irani said on Monday that the Caspian Sea is not a place to pilot external forces, stressing that the local countries have sufficient strength and coordination to ensure the safety and stability of the region.
“The Caspian Sea is not an environment that gives room for others to pilot,” Admiral Irani said during a visit to Russia to attend a meeting of naval commanders of the coastal state of Caspia. “There is ample integration of power around the Caspian Islands, and the message of this rally is clear: coastal countries make decisions for themselves.”
The Admiral praised the close cooperation between five Caspian coastal countries: Iran, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.
“The common goal of all Caspian coastal countries is to ensure maritime security in a way that will make the regional economies dynamic and prosperous,” he said.
Admiral Irani’s trip to St. Petersburg includes high-level meetings with the commander of the Russian navy and bilateral meetings with the naval chiefs of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.
He arrived in St. Petersburg on Sunday evening and was accepted at Parkovo International Airport by Russian Iranian ambassador, Kazem Jalali and Admiral Vladimir Zemtsov, deputy commander of the Russian Navy.
Admiral Irani emphasized that cooperation in the Caspian countries is aimed at not only protecting the safety of the region, but also supporting economic growth and addressing shared environmental concerns.
He also mentioned Bandar Anzari’s recent joint training and announced another total naval movement will take place in the coming months.
“The coastal states of Caspia have reached the capacity and maturity to enable them to collectively address this ocean-related problem, especially in the economic and environmental sectors,” Irani said.
He concluded: “The Caspian Sea is not where foreign forces test their presence. Coast countries themselves will gather the strength they need around this sea and will continue to decide the future together.”