Cooperation in the Caspian Sea has reached a high level, and the creation of the Caspian Council could advance it further, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Caspian countries taking place in Moscow, according to Report's Russian bureau.

"Additional efforts are required to improve the quality of the five-party interaction and strengthen its international legal foundations. We believe that the effectiveness of our work could be increased by the creation of the Caspian Council - a forum for cooperation and dialogue without any bureaucratic schemes, like secretariats. We look forward to discussing this initiative.

We will also, of course, traditionally, touch on certain issues on the international agenda that in one way or another relate to the Caspian region. In general, I am convinced that today's meeting will contribute to strengthening the position of our region as a zone of peace, harmony, good neighborliness and fruitful cooperation," Lavrov said.