Baku preparing convention on Caspian Sea’s status

The 48th meeting of the foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral states to draft the convention on the Caspian Sea’s legal status has started in Baku today.

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister, Khalaf Khalafov, said at the opening of the meeting that for the last period a lot has been done for the development of cooperation between the Caspian littoral states. Since 2002, there were 4 general summits of heads of Caspian littoral states; The very important agreements on the delimitation of areas of national maritime zones of the Caspian littoral states were adopted in Baku and Astrakhan, he recalled.

"The adoption of the draft Convention on the Caspian status will open up the possibility of unhindered access to the ocean for all the ships of the Caspian countries, authorize the warship to sail in the waters of sovereign states, contribute to carrying cables and pipelines, as well as the division of the seabed of the Caspian Sea," the correspondent of Vestnik Kavkaza cited him as saying.

Khalaf Khalafov stressed that Baku is interested in reaching an agreement on division of the Caspian seabed in the central and southern zones. "In this regard, we attach great importance to the agreement reached between Azerbaijan, Russia and Kazakhstan. We are confident that all activities on defining the legal status of Caspian Sea should take place in a spirit of respect for the territorial integrity of all the countries," he concluded.

Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister also said that the five Caspian countries should make every effort to ensure peace and stability in the Caspian region, as well as give a joint response to the challenges and threats of military aggression.

"It should be noted that an agreement on the rational use of water resources and protection of the Caspian Sea biological resources already entered into force. In order to achieve the objectives of this document, the first meeting of the commission, which was established under an agreement will be held in Baku. Now the preparatory works are underway," Khalaf Khalafov said.

Baku will also host the 6th conference of the framework agreement on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea. "We pay great attention to protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, and we hope that the joint efforts will bear fruit in this matter," the Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan concluded.