By Azernews

By Amina Nazarli

On Monday Baku will see the historical event in the region, as the heads of Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran will hold a trilateral meeting for the first time in the Azerbaijani capital.

Holding a trilateral summit was suggested by President Ilham Aliyev during a telephone conversation with Putin in February, RIA Novosti reports.

Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that "this is the first trilateral meeting at the level of leaders" and "relevance of this format is quite obvious". He noted that the three countries "are faced with similar challenges" in the filed of economy and security, as well as counter terrorism.

A draft declaration of the meeting includes a wide range of discussions.  

Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan have agreed to strengthen cooperation in various spheres of economy, energy and transport, according to a draft declaration obtained by RIA Novosti.

The parties intend to strengthen comprehensive cooperation in various sectors of the economy based on the principles of equality and mutual benefit.

The parties reaffirm the importance of further strengthening regional and international cooperation in the field of protection and promotion of investment and underline the need to maintain a favorable environment, including the improvement of banking cooperation, which will facilitate the implementation of investment projects and attraction of new technologies, read the draft declaration the leaders of the three countries plan to approve following the summit in Baku.

It is also noted that in order to contribute to the economic growth of the region and international energy security, the parties intend to intensify cooperation in the field of energy and transport with the aim to develop regional and international energy and transport corridors.

The parties emphasize the need for contribution by Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia into the stable functioning of regional and international natural gas markets and advocate a better cooperation in this area, including through the transfer of technologies in the sphere of development of transportation and gas delivery, according to the document.

In this context, the three countries intend to continue strengthening cooperation and interaction both within the framework of international organizations and in bilateral, as well as trilateral formats, the document read.

Russia, Iran and Azerbaijan will take measures on the development of transportation infrastructure, including the North-South international transportation corridor.

“The sides intend to support efforts to integrate regional transportation and communication opportunities aimed at creating an economically profitable and environmentally friendly transportation infrastructure,” says the declaration that should be approved by the three countries’ leaders on the results of the summit.

The parties intend to take effective steps for the development of transportation and communication infrastructure in order to improve the existing passenger and goods transportation capacity along with the North-South international transportation corridor, according to the declaration.

It is also noted that Moscow, Tehran and Baku intend to further contribute to the implementation of new projects on the connection of railways as a part of the development and improvement of the North-South international transportation corridor’s efficiency.

The North-South transportation corridor is meant to connect Northern Europe to South-East Asia. It will serve as a link connecting the railways of Azerbaijan, Iran and Russia.

At the initial stage, the North-South corridor will transport 5 million tons of cargo per year with further expansion of transportation to over 10 million tons.

Legal status of the Caspian Sea will be another important issue on the agenda, as the three countries recognize the importance of the early adoption of convention.  

Considering the Caspian Sea as the sea of peace, friendship, security and cooperation, the parties recognize the importance of the early adoption of the convention on its legal status, according to the declaration, which must be approved by the leaders of the three countries following the summit in Baku.

According to a draft declaration, Moscow, Tehran and Baku have urged the international community to join efforts in the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking.  

The sides are determined to counter terrorism, extremism, cross-border crime, illegal arms trade, drug trafficking, human trafficking and crime in the sphere of ??ICT, according to the draft declaration.

The sides urge the international community to join efforts to effectively address these challenges and threats to international stability and security under the central coordinating role of the UN, read the declaration, which must be approved by the leaders of the three countries following the summit in Baku.

It is also noted that the parties strongly condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations, note the importance of bilateral and trilateral consultations to exchange views on the development of the situation and work out measures to effectively combat terrorism.

The parties recognize that unresolved conflicts in the region are a major obstacle to regional cooperation, and in this regard stress the importance of their early settlement through negotiations and based on principles and norms of international law, according to the draft declaration.