Azerbaijan, Baku, April 26 / Trend T.Jafarov /
A Convention on the Caspian Sea Status may be developed by late 2011.
"The Caspian littoral states' presidents assigned us to develop a convention by late 2011," Iranian President's special advisor for the Caspian Sea Affairs Mohammad Mehdi Akhoundzadeh said at the Baku meeting of the Caspian littoral states' working groups on Tuesday.
He said Iran is ready for constructive cooperation with other states to develop this convention. "I hope the Convention on the Caspian Sea Status will be ready before the President's Moscow Summit in late 2011," Akhoundzadeh said.
Akhoundzadeh said the Caspian littoral states cooperate with each other in the economic sphere and that great potential exists to expand this cooperation.
"We should try to use this potential for the benefit of the Caspian littoral peoples," he added.
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 delineation 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 delineation of the Caspian Sea.
Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on the delineation of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea on May 14, 2003.