Kazakhstan finalizes negotiations on Caspian Sea

/By AzerNews/

By Nigar Orujova

Despite the fact that a solution is yet to be reached on the delimitation of the Caspian Sea, one of the longest standing problems in the region between the five littoral states, Kazakhstan is moving to complete bilateral negotiations on its respective maritime border.

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Askar Musinov, has said that Kazakhstan is completing bilateral negotiations on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, Kazakh media reported.

"Unfortunately, the issue on the legal status is frozen now. A lot of obstacles as the water and the bottom of the Caspian Sea affect the economic interests of the Caspian states," he said at a meeting of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Defense and Security on June 18.

"The work has been ongoing for about 20 years, and 60-70 percent of the Convention agreed, but we cannot yet come to a common consensus in the rest of it," he added.

Musinov said that after the ratification of the agreement between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan on delimitation of the Caspian Sea, "we can assume that the Kazakh side has concluded all bilateral agreements."

"However, similar agreements have not been signed among other states, negotiations between Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan are underway. Also, when it comes to a higher level, 5-parties agreement, the Iranian side does not agree with a number of rules of the agreement, because they want to protect their interests," he noted.

Meanwhile, Azerbaijan is committed to resolve the issue of the Caspian Sea status as part of a sovereign and mutually beneficial partnership among all Caspian littoral countries.

The five coastal states, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan, and Iran, signed a framework convention on the protection of the marine environment of the Caspian Sea in November 2003.

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on the delimitation of their respective Caspian maritime borders on May 14, 2003.

Baku supports defining the Caspian Sea's legal status based on the sovereign rights of the littoral states, a mutually beneficial partnership, and peaceful negotiations.

Azerbaijan, together with Kazakhstan and Russia, agreed on the delimitation of the sea in early 2000. Turkmenistan and Iran, however, have not reached a consensus yet.

Once all Caspian states ratify the Agreement on Security Cooperation in the Caspian Sea, signed on November 18, 2010 in Baku, a new impetus will be given for close cooperation between the sides.

Earlier, the Russian president's special representative for the Caspian Sea, Igor Bratchikov, said that the text of the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea will be presented at the next meeting of the Caspian littoral states in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2016.

Significant progress had been achieved in drafting a convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea last year on September 26. The Caspian countries have developed an agreement on two areas on the Caspian Sea zone - the state sovereignty zone and the fishing zone.

For now, the process for determination of the legal status continues to develop with no solution on the horizon.