Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, Dec. 17 / Trend H.Hasanov /
Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have "the similarity of views on most aspects of the legal status of Caspian Sea," Kazakh Ambassador to Turkmenistan Askhat Orazbay said in his address.
Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Russia and Iran border the Caspian Sea rich in hydrocarbons and bio-resources, and after the collapse of the Soviet Union, it had become necessary to adopt a new agreement on the legal status of the reservoir.
The five Caspian states have agreed that the agreement may be adopted by consensus. 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.2 7, 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.
The last Summit of the Heads of Caspian States was held in Baku on Nov. 18.
Orazbay stressed that Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan actively support sustainable development, disarmament and cooperation in Central Asia and the Caspian Sea.
Kazakhstan builds a "friendly, neighborly and mutually beneficial relations with brotherly Turkmenistan, with which the country links common historical, cultural and linguistic roots", he said, noting that more than 60 documents signed in various areas of cooperation are the foundation for the development of mutually beneficial relations.
"Thanks to the efforts of Presidents of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, Nursultan Nazarbayev and Gurbangulu Berdimuhammedov, the two countries' close trustful political dialogue and bilateral relations gained qualitatively new content and powerful dynamics", he further said.
Orazbay also drew attention to the commitment of the two countries to show close cooperation in bilateral and regional ties. "The launch of the transnational gas pipeline Turkmenistan-Uzbekistan-Kazakhstan-China in 2001 promotes economic growth and strengthens cooperation in our region," Orazbay said.