A summit of the presidents of the five countries that surround the Caspian Sea - Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan - will be held in December in Baku, Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast was quoted as saying by the Iranian MEHR news agency.
The leaders will discuss the issue of the separation of the seabed of the Caspian Sea, rights to its subsoil and its legal status.
Previous meetings have resolved 70 percent of the questions that have arisen on the status of the Caspian Sea. The remaining 30 percent of the issues to be discussed at the upcoming meeting are particularly serious and for this purpose, the sides will hold an expert meeting.
In November 2003, the Caspian countries signed the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea.
In July 1998, Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the delimitation of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights for subsoil use.
On Nov. 29, 2001 and Feb.27, 2003, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on the delimitation of the Caspian Sea.
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on the delimitation of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea on May 14, 2003.