Speaking at the summit of the Commonwealth of Independent States, Pezeshkian, as reported by the Iranian government's information portal, thanked Turkmenistan's government and people for hosting the meeting and inviting Iran. Iran attended for the first time, as the first country invited as a special guest. He called the occasion a chance to strengthen existing ties and open a new chapter of cooperation with CIS members.

He noted that the summit coincided with a meeting of Caspian Sea littoral states on the environment. He said the overlap offered a chance to consider shared geography, interests and concerns, as well as Iran's cooperation potential with Caspian and Central Asian countries.

Crises and security

Pezeshkian said the war between Russia and Ukraine has affected security, trade, transport and especially energy supply and markets. Such crises show that disruption in one part of the region can quickly cause economic, social and even political pressure elsewhere, he said.

He described last year's U.S. and Israeli military attacks on Iran as blatant and illegal acts of aggression that harmed civilians and civilian infrastructure and affected many people in the region and beyond.

Regional security and stability are indivisible, he said. "One cannot demand security and development for one part of the region while fueling insecurity, economic pressure and instability in another," he said.

Dialogue and sanctions

Iran has always supported dialogue and diplomacy to achieve lasting peace, Pezeshkian said, but talks can succeed only if based on mutual respect and mutual commitments, without pressure or threats. "Negotiation in the shadow of force is not negotiation; it is imposition and coercion," he said.

He said using trade, banking, technology, energy and the international financial system as tools against countries affects the economic security and development of the whole region and the world. Pressure and sanctions on Iran limit its economic capacity and also harm trade, connectivity, energy and regional order, he said.

Connecting the region

To boost regional resilience against war, crises, outside pressure and disruption of economic and communication routes, countries must link their capacities, Pezeshkian said. "Our shared interests lie not in competition between routes but in connecting routes," he said.

He said Iran is not merely a partner for Central Asia but a natural route linking Central Asia and Eurasia to open waters. Iran's southern ports on the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, particularly Chabahar, could connect the region to South Asia, Africa and Europe, he said.

Pezeshkian noted Turkmenistan's proposal at the U.N. General Assembly for a transport corridor linking Central and South Asia with Europe via the Caspian Sea. He said it could be carried out using Iran's capacities, and described north-south and east-west corridors as parts of one complementary network.

Energy and trade

Rather than competing to push each other out of energy markets, the region could become a network of energy production, transmission and exchange linking oil, gas, electricity and renewables to shared economic benefit and stability, he said.

He also called for practical regional mechanisms, including financial and barter arrangements, to ease trade and sustain economic cooperation despite outside disruptions and restrictions.

"CIS+1" proposal

Pezeshkian proposed a "CIS+1" format, bringing together the CIS and Iran, as a flexible forum for cooperation in transit, energy, trade, mining, investment, technology, water, the environment, tourism, and scientific and cultural exchange.

He called for joint regional solutions to climate change, dwindling water resources, environmental problems in the Caspian Sea and Aral region, organized crime and drug trafficking.

Regional diplomacy should mean more than holding meetings, he said. It should become a tool for crisis management, keeping lines of communication open, preventing the spread of conflict and enabling practical cooperation, he said, describing this as Iran's neighborhood policy.

Pezeshkian said countries should not see themselves as choosing only between isolation and dependence. "We want connection instead of rupture, cooperation instead of draining rivalry, mutual dependence instead of one-sided dependence, and security based on trust and shared interests," he said.

He said he hopes the summit will be a practical step toward a region in which Central Asia, the South Caucasus and Iran form a single network of cooperation, security and development. "Geographic necessity has bound us together, but it is our political will that can turn this bond into shared capital for peace, security and development," he said.