Participants at an the international conference in Astrakhan have been searching for new forms of cooperation and have discussed several significant problems, which the five Caspian littoral countries have to solve in the near future.
Astrakhan is the central city of the Astrakhan region, situated 1,500 km from Moscow. Notwithstanding the oil and gas industry, fishing and developed agriculture, Astrakhan holds an average position among Russian cities in terms of living standards.
The conference "The Caspian region - a territory of development: searching for new forms of cooperation" made it clear that the local authorities support the idea of making Astrakhan the Caspian capital of Russia within reason. The city can become a headquarters for the Caspian Economic Cooperation Organization.
The head of the Astrakhan region, Konstantin Markelov, stressed at the opening ceremony that recent world developments showed that the political climate in the world was changing dramatically. Countries with rich natural resources have become trouble-spots. In this context, the Caspian region gains strategic significance.
The Astrakhan region is making major efforts in order to integrate the littoral countries. Last year the president of Turkmenistan, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, visited Astrakhan. The presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia chose the city as a platform for the discussion of important international issues. In November 2010 the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, met the governor of Astrakhan region, Alexander Zhilkin. So it is highly possible that the next summit of the Caspian littoral states will be held in Astrakhan this year.
Izvestia Kazakhstan.
