Baku, Azerbaijan, July 7
Trend:
A meeting of foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral states will be held July 12-13 in Astana, Kazakhstan, to discuss the legal status of the Caspian Sea, said Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman Mariya Zakharova July 7.
At the meeting, the foreign ministers of Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Iran will discuss cooperation between the Caspian states in determining the legal status of the Caspian Sea, Zakharova added.
It is planned to summarize the implementation of the decisions adopted earlier by the presidents of the five Caspian littoral states and outline a plan for further work, Zakharova added.
She noted that determining the legal status of the Caspian Sea is a priority for all the littoral states.
The Caspian states – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Iran – signed a Framework Convention for Protection of Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea in November 2003.
Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on delimitation of the northern part of the Caspian seabed in order to exercise sovereign rights for subsoil use in July 1998. The two countries signed a protocol to this agreement in May 2002.
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on delimitation of the Caspian seabed and a protocol to it on Nov. 29, 2001 and Feb. 27, 2003, respectively.
Additionally, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on the delimitation of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea on May 14, 2003.