ALMATY. May 12 (Interfax-Kazakhstan) - Russia is still opposed to the creation of extra military units in the Caspian region, said Viktor Kalyuzhny, deputy Russian foreign minister for Caspian affairs.
"If Russia supports the principle of demilitarization, then comes the question: What is the point of additional forces if we want to disarm?" he told journalists in Almaty on Monday.
Kalyuzhny noted that if the Caspian's littoral nations are committed to the "Caspian - A Sea of Peace" principle, then they "should do everything in their power to make this idea a reality."
Asked whether Russia is ready to disband its Caspian flotilla, the deputy foreign minister said that "this option is quite realistic in the long term. But it will take time to settle the serious problem that we (Russia) are now facing in the Caucasus."
At the same time, Kazakh Defense Minister Mukhtar Altynbayev said that his country plans to create its Caspian Navy. He said that this will help protect Kazakh oil fields and counter terrorism and extremism in the Caspian region.
Kalyuzhny is attending the ninth session of the task force in charge of a draft convention on the status of the Caspian Sea, which opened in Almaty on Monday.