Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 13
By Anvar Mammadov - Trend:
Signing of the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, which was expected for over 20 years, has become a very significant event for all five Caspian littoral states (Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan), the Transport Corridor Europe Caucasus Asia (TRACECA) international transport cooperation program national secretary on Azerbaijan Akif Mustafayev told Trend Aug. 13.
He said that this agreement will open new prospects for the development of logistics and expansion of cooperation in this sphere among the Caspian littoral states.
“The Caspian Sea is of great importance for Azerbaijan, because it connects the country with Central Asia,” he said. “A lot of transit cargo traffic passes through the Caspian Sea between Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, as well as Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan. Besides, cargoes heading from China to Europe pass through the Caspian Sea. In this regard, the interaction among the Caspian littoral states has always been at a high level, and the signing of the convention will open even greater opportunities and prospects for the development of transit cargo transportation.”
On the other hand, the signing of the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea will make it possible to implement a number of promising projects that couldn’t previously be implemented, he added.
“This document will make it possible to transport great volumes of gas in the future from Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan via the pipeline through the Caspian Sea, and these volumes will be further transported to Turkey and European countries via the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP),” he noted.
“Earlier, construction of such a pipeline was impossible, but after signing the agreement, there were almost no obstacles left. Thus, the signing of the convention creates great economic prospects not only for Azerbaijan, but also for Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. In a word, the signing of the convention will lead to significant increase in all types of cargo transportation, enhance security in the region, as well as improve the ecological state of the Caspian Sea.”
On August 12, Kazakh city of Aktau hosted the ceremony of signing documents on the legal status of the Caspian Sea at the 5th summit of heads of the Caspian littoral states.
The Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea was signed by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of Iran Hassan Rouhani and President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov.
In addition, heads of the respective structures of the Caspian littoral states signed other important documents stemming from this Convention - the Protocol on Cooperation in the Fight against Organized Crime in the Caspian Sea, the Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation among the Governments of the Caspian Littoral States, the Agreement on Cooperation in the Transport Sphere among the Governments of the Caspian Littoral States, the Agreement on the Prevention of Incidents in the Caspian Sea and the Protocol on Cooperation and Interaction of Border Agencies.
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