The President began the meeting by calling for a moment of silence in honour of the victims who died in the terrorist attack in Nazran and in the accident at the Sayano-Shushenskaya Hydroelectric Station. Next, he briefly outlined the measures that have already been taken to address these tragedies. The President announced his decision to dismiss the head of Ingushetia’s Ministry of the Interior in view of the terrorist attack in Nazran.
In his speech on cooperation in the Caspian region, Mr Medvedev emphasised that the most important challenge is to preserve the Caspian Sea for future generations, ensuring that it does not become spoiled.
The President stated that Russia wants the Caspian Sea to continue to be a zone of good neighbourly relations, stability, and mutually beneficial cooperation. To achieve these goals, it is imperative to step up talks on defining the legal status of the Caspian Sea. It is essential to complete work on the protocols to the Tehran Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, which was signed in 2003 and which went into effect in 2006. It is also imperative to continue work on creating the Caspian Sea Economic Cooperation Organisation. Furthermore, Dmitry Medvedev feels it is essential to have an expert meeting on preparing a pentalateral agreement on security cooperation around the Caspian Sea.
The President announced that he will soon be meeting with the heads of partner-states on the Caspian Sea cooperation.