Statement by Ambassador Esmaeil Baghaei Hamaneh Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran During Information Briefing on the First Caspian Sea Economic Forum Geneva, 8 April 2019 بسم الله الرحمن الرحیم Dear Ambassador Haljanov, Distinguished colleagues, 1) I would like to thank my dear friend Ambassador Atageldi Haljanov for initiating this briefing in this well-decorated and beautiful room of Turkmenistan in preparation of the First Caspian Economic Forum to be held on 12 August 2019, in Avaza, Turkmenistan. 2) The Forum will be held on the first anniversary of the landmark 5th Summit of the Caspian Sea Littoral States in Aktau, Kazakhstan where Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan, the 5 littoral states, concluded the historical Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. 3) This achievement was significant heralding the prospect for further enhanced cooperation between and among the littoral States. The Convention by itself left a role model for constant dialogue and negotiations to forge common grounds. It marked the success of 2 decades long negotiations on the Caspian Sea status. 4) As you know, the Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water in the world, mostly referred to as the world's largest lake. The coastlines of the Caspian are shared by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. 5) Regional cooperation is key in economic growth and development. Multilateral cooperation and trade are perceived to have contributed significantly to the development including poverty mitigation as SDG goal number one. 6) I would say that Caspian Sea region is now quite ready to become a hub for boosting entrepreneurship, innovation, trade and development, as it enjoys critical elements required for effective economic and trade partnership among the littoral States and beyond. I would outline just some of them as following: A. Favorable political climate: all 5 littoral States are in good form and shape politically and enjoy internal political stability and security. Moreover, they have developed a very good relationship among each other based on good neighborly relation, mutual respect and noninterference. The Caspian Sea is the sea of friendship among its littoral States and free from malign external influences. It is in the high interest of all littoral States to maintain it as such. B. Enormous natural resources: the Caspian Sea basin and the littoral States are rich in God given resources, in particular oil and gas reserves. The Caspian shelf is among the richest oil fields in the world. Proven crude oil and natural gas reserves have been estimated at up to 3% and 4% of the world total, respectively. Regional proven oil reserves range between 17 and 33 billion barrels. Proven natural gas reserves are estimated at 232 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) (including Uzbekistan). C. Human capital: the littoral States pride in their talented and highly educated human resources as the driving force for development. D. Competitive advantages: the Caspian Sea basin provides a viable facility for each and every littoral State to further their respective economic advantages, including through providing transit passage to the open seas. I can name Iran, for instance, which offers an enormous transit passage for the Caspian basin and other Central Asian countries to the Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman. The littoral States can benefit from their natural and geographical linkages to further boost trade and integrate their economies through land, rail and sea transportation. The capacity of the ports of the littoral states is 130 million tones whereas only 30 million tons have been recorded as the maximum usage of the capacity. It means only 25 percent of the capacity is being used. E. Multilateral legal infrastructure: During the past 2 decades, the Caspian Sea States have developed a sophisticated array of multilateral agreements for the purpose of regulating their cooperation in different areas. The Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea was only the most recent instrument concluded among the 5 States; there have been many agreements already signed and entered into force which cover a wide range of issues of common concern and/or interest. 7) While there are ample potentials to tap, we should be very mindful of every step we take in order to ensure the sustainability of our development. We should not lose sight of the fact that the Caspian Sea is an enclosed big lake vulnerable to human distresses. Sea pollution and environmental degradation would be consequential to all littoral States. Fortunately, our leaders have been insightful enough to recognize the significance of the Sea's marine environment. The Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea and its Protocols along with the Convention on the Legal Status of the Sea constitute a solid base for close collaboration among the member States to protect the Caspian Sea against all pollutant sources and to conserve its very vulnerable marine ecosystem and bio-diversity. 8) In conclusion, we look forward to the First Caspian Sea Economic Forum as an occasion to foster trade and economic cooperation between and among the littoral States, including through mobilizing investment and partnership from outside the region. We stand ready to work with our brotherly neighbor, Turkmenistan, to make this event a great success. In this vein, we propose to set up a Working Group here in Geneva to draft relevant documents under able leadership of Ambassador Haljanov.   I thank you.