Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec. 6
By Leman Zeynalova - Trend:
The draft convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea also includes the issue of construction of the Trans-Caspian pipelines, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Khalaf Khalafov said in a press conference in Baku Dec. 6.
He said the issue of construction of the Trans-Caspian pipelines will be coordinated with the countries through which those pipelines are to pass.
A meeting of foreign ministers of the Caspian countries was held in Moscow Dec. 5. The text of the Caspian Sea convention was agreed during the meeting.
The text of the convention will be put for approval of the presidents of the Caspian countries, who may meet in Kazakhstan in the first half of next year.
The implementation of the Trans-Caspian pipeline project depends on the solution of the Caspian Sea status issue.
The European Union adopted a mandate in 2011 to negotiate a legally binding treaty between the EU, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan to build the Trans Caspian Pipeline System. This was the first time that the European Union proposed a treaty in support of an infrastructure project.
The Trans Caspian Pipeline agreement will set the basis for construction of a submarine pipeline connecting Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan, and in turn link this pipeline to infrastructure that will bring gas from Central Asia to the EU.