MOSCOW, June 19. /ITAR-TASS/. Russia’s expert has said the situation in Iraq poses a threat to the Caspian region.

“Now there is a real threat from terrorists, who want to seize Baghdad and create a kind of ‘a black hole’. It is unknown what will happen there,” the director-general of the Caspian Cooperation Institute, Sergei Mikheyev told ITAR-TASS on Thursday.

“This threatens the borders of Iran, which is one of the Caspian states and our partner,” he said.

“Iran voices serious concern over this situation and it is ready to use force for ensuring its own security, maybe on the territory of Iraq itself,” Mikheyev said.

“Stability and security in the Caspian region is one of Russia’s priorities. This is our border and one of our key regions. We can’t be indifferent. It is necessary to watch the situation and support our Caspian partner - Iran,” he said.

The situation in the Caspian region is rather stable. The Caspian states pursue an independent policy, Mikheyev said.

“The fact that the region is in the focus of different powerful geopolitical forces makes us think about security in the region,” he said.

“We’ll able to preserve the Caspian region only within the five-party format (Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan),” Mikheyev said.