Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, Mar. 15
By Huseyn Hasanov – Trend:
The International Ocean Institute (IOI) is holding a 10-day seminar in Avaza, Turkmenistan, which will end on March 16.
The seminar, titled “The Caspian Sea – Sustainable Development and Management”, is being held with the support of Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry and State Enterprise for Caspian Sea Issues, the Turkmen government said in a message.
Experts of various ministries and agencies of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan, as well as the maritime economy, politics, management, ecology and maritime law experts and scientific consultants of the IOI are invited to the event.
The message says that special attention was attached to the creation of a legal base of cooperation of the Caspian littoral states.
Exchange of views was held on development of a draft convention as a main document on the Caspian Sea’s legal status, designed to regulate the relations of coastal states and create a legal basis for a productive international partnership.
According to the message, the seminar participants became acquainted with the Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), international legal norms on the use of national coastal and marine areas, exploration and use of the Caspian Sea’s oil and gas resources, regulation of navigation, as well as protection of the marine environment and fish resources of the Caspian Sea.
Currently, the Caspian littoral states are holding negotiations on draft agreements on cooperation in transportation, trade and economy, as well as on two protocols, which will complement the agreement on cooperation for security in the Caspian Sea.
These documents will create a legal basis for cooperation of the neighboring countries in such areas as combating the illegal extraction of biological resources (poaching) and ensuring the safety of navigation.