On 19 February 2018, Baku hosted the first meeting of the joint working group, established on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding on the future development of energy cooperation signed between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on 8 August 2017. The delegations led by Azerbaijan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov and Chairman of the State Enterprise for Caspian Sea Issues under the President of Turkmenistan Murat Atadjanov attended the meeting, the foreign ministry told APA. The participants of the meeting emphasized that the draft Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, which was agreed in Moscow at the end of 2017, will serve to solve the issue of mutual interest in the Caspian Sea. They discussed the prospects for the development of energy cooperation between the two countries on the principles of equality and mutual benefit for achieving the goals of the Memorandum of Understanding and noted that such cooperation will make a great contribution to the economy of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. The sides further mulled issues related to the division of the Caspian seabed between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Given that both countries have high energy potential, the sides negotiated issues of improving the legal basis for the Caspian Sea in order to reach further agreements that will enable to unite efforts in this field and expand energy projects. The parties agreed to hold the next meeting in Turkmenistan. Source: apa.az