TURKMENBASHI /Turkmenistan/, August 13. /TASS/. Russia is poised to cooperate with other Caspian Sea nations to implement transport and energy projects, Russian Ambassador to Turkmenistan Ivan Volynkin said.

"Russia is making a major contribution to stability and prosperity in the Caspian region, to preserving its biological diversity and high environmental standards, to upgrading its ports and coastal infrastructure and to modernizing its fleets," the ambassador said. "We are poised to work jointly with all Caspian partners to put into practice transport and energy projects with our participation, including the North-South international transport corridor, exports of Russian goods, agricultural products and fertilizers," he said on Saturday during a scientific conference, headlined ‘The Caspian Sea - the sea of peace and friendship.’

The ambassador went on to say that the Caspian Region is one of the world’s key economic zones. Home to more than 270 million people, the region accounts for 12.6% of global energy exports and 7% of global exports in commodities.

‘The Caspian Sea - the sea of peace and friendship’ conference was held in the city of Turkmenbashi in Turkmenistan to coincide with the International Day of the Caspian Sea, marked on August 12. The forum brought together diplomats from the five Caspian littoral states, delegates from UN, European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and Turkmen officials to discuss cooperation in politics, economy, science, environmental protection and other areas.