Caspian Sea status largely depends on relations between Baku and Tehran

The Azerbaijani President, Ilham Aliyev, received today Mohammad Mehdi Akhundzadeh, the Deputy to the Iranian Foreign Minister and the Special Presidential Representative on the problems of the Caspian Sea, who arrived in Baku for the first time in such a capacity, APA reports, referring to the press service of the head of state.

The purpose of his visit is to participate in the conference of deputy foreign ministers of the countries bordering the Caspian. The conference will discuss security issues in the Caspian Sea region, RIA Novosti reports.
 
Iran proposes dividing the Caspian Sea into 5 equal zones of influence between the Caspian countries. Azerbaijan rejects this proposal, as it will deprive it of a third of its share of the Caspian, which will go to Iran.

The status of the Caspian Sea has been regulated by treaties from 1921 and from 1940 between the Soviet Union and Iran. The negotiation process to establish a new legal status is still going on. Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan have signed bilateral agreements on the use of the Sea's resources.