A regular summit of the heads of the Caspian region states is due to take place on November 18. It is obvious that the relevance of the Caspian summit is based on the fact that the Caspian problem hasn't been discussed in the five-sided way for quite a long period of time. The latest, 26th, meeting of the special working group on the development of the Caspian Sea legal status agreement at the level of the deputy ministers for foreign affairs was held in Ashkhabad in 2009. The next planned meeting, proposed at the beginning of 2010 in Tehran, hasn't taken place yet.
However, in March of this year in Baku the general principles of cooperation in the sphere of security in the Caspian region were discussed at the same level. In that case the issue was on continuation of the work under agreement on cooperation between boundary and customs services and departments for internal affairs in the sphere of the Caspian region security. Meanwhile, commenting on the results of the meeting the minister for foreign affairs of
Azerbaijan Elmar Mamedijrov stated that the most significant questions on the Caspian legal status, including usage of the water surface, delimitation of the water bottom, fishing, shipping, demilitarization, war-ship navigation and so on remain uncoordinated.
That is why both Moscow and Baku want to stimulate the process of discussion these questions by all countries of the Caspian Sea region. And Russian President's statement on the common Caspian area can become a key during the development and carrying out new ways of extension of the cooperation between the Caspian region countries.
Today, there is a good base in the Caspian region for achieving a new level of cooperation between these countries. It concerns not only positive solution of the main problem, but also direction of this process to the long-term prospect. Today, we have positive results and achievements within double-sided and multi-sided cooperation between the Caspian region countries in almost all key directions of international relations in the Caspian Sea region. The following took place this year.
In the sphere of security
As it was said, the Caspian region countries are ready to develop the agreement on cooperation between boundary and customs services and departments for internal affairs in the sphere of the Caspian region security. This document regulates the suppression of terrorism, drug business, arms trade, other forms of organized crime, as well as illegal transfer of nuclear materials and components of weapon of mass destruction.
According to the deputy minister for foreign affairs Halaf Halafov, the Caspian region countries have reached an agreement on all general principles of cooperation in the sphere of security. For example, a list of relevant state structures, that will participate in this process, is going be approved. In favour of improvement of this process counts an unexampled incident of the 8th July of this year, when an armed group attacked the Iranian dry-cargo "Saman" which sail on the Caspian Sea along seashores of Dagestan from the Iranian port Enzeli to the Kazakhstan port Aktau. However, the crew managed to call for help, and Russian border patrol countered the attack.
Eventhough, neither Iranian crew nor Russian boundary patrol were injured, the risk of such incidents is quite high, that proves development of piracy on the Caspian Sea. One of the main problems of security providing remains poaching. Moreover, during recent years poachers began to put up armed resistance to officers of law-enforcement agencies and even attack them. According to the boundary department of the FSB of Kalmyk and Astrakhan region, in 2007-2008 there were 7 attacks of boundary cutters in this region. Thus, poachers carry out piracy. In addition, there were attacks of civil fishers and robbing of their catch and boats.
All this counts in favour of foundation of common security system on the Caspian Sea including all countries of the region. As a basement of the system we could use current experience of cooperation between boundary services and law-enforcement agencies of Russia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in the sphere of suppression poaching, illegal traffic and other offenses on the Caspian Sea.
In the sphere of oil and gas recovery and transfer
Even though, each Caspian region country consider and solve the question on oil and gas recovery and export concerning its own national interest, there are relevant trade economic cooperation, as well as holding and developing projects in the multi-sided format.
Most of all this sphere of cooperation is developed between Russia and Kazakhstan. For example, they commonly recover oil deposits - Russian "Central" and "Hvalynskoe" and Kazakhstan "Kurmangazy", have founded the Caspian Pipeline Consortium, which is an operator of the pipeline "Tengiz-Novorossiysk" and ltd. "KazRosGas", one of its key projects is sour gas processing from Karachagan deposit at Orenburg gas-processing plant.
Among other examples of international cooperation in this sphere are the following:
cooperation between Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan and Iran within SWAP-operations scheme of oil substitution. Two Middle Asia countries export oil to Iran, which in its turn offloads the same volumes of oil in its ports on the Arabian Gulf to foreign importers in favour of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Annual volume of oil amounts: from
Kazakhstan - 1.2 mln tones, from Turkmenistan - 2 million tones; export of Azerbaijani gas to Russia through the pipeline "Baku-Novofilya" straighted from Baku to Russian boundaries along the Caspian Sea shores;
development by Russia and Iran the "Roadmap" on cooperation in the sphere of oil and gas; the project of the Caspian Sea gas pipeline by Russia, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan; the project of Kazakhstan Caspian System of Transfer, targeted on the export of Kazakhstan oil to Azerbaijan and then abroad, first of all through the pipeline "Baku-Tbilisi-Djeihan".
However, holding of the last two projects is actually postponed due to different political and economic reasons. Prospects of their revival can be a subject of discussion between all Caspian region countries, providing that these oil and gas transport routes will function in the interest of the Caspian Sea and countries of the region.
In the sphere of shipping
In this sphere regular meetings of port administrations of the Caspian region countries. There were two of them: 5-6 of May in Iranian port Enzeli and 23-24 of April in Astrakhan. The participants discussed cooperation in the sphere of development of ports' infrastructure, investments, shipping security and so on.
The most important result of the Astrakhan meeting was an agreement on intention to found the Caspian Sea Association of ship companies. This union was proposed by Russian party for coordination of the relevant
work, including extension of cargo traffic. Under good conditions the association will be one of the key tools for regular cooperation between countries of the Caspian region.
At the level of double-sided cooperation stands out the Russian and Kazakhstan project of building of a new shipping canal connecting the Caspian Sea and the Azov and the Black Sea region, that is carried out since 2009 July. The target of the project is extension of water-transport carries and cargo traffic in this direction. It is known, that this summer JSC "Institute Hydroproject" finished development of technical task for building of this canal.
Moreover, the relevant services of Azerbaijan and Iran agreed to revive passenger voyage between Baku and Enzeli. In 1998 this sea carry was temporarily suspended for some unknown reasons. Today, passenger voyages will be held twice a week on the Iranian ship for 150 passengers. Baku will found permanent delegation of the Iranian shipping company. Furthermore, Iran plans passenger voyages to Baku from its other Caspian ports Amirabad and Noushehr.
In the sphere of non-oil and gas trade economic cooperation
A good example is cooperation between Kazakhstan and Iran at the grain market. Kazakhstan exports its grain to Iran. Annual volume of the export is estimated by 1 million tones of grain, 80% out of them is wheat.
Within this cooperation on the 31 of May the Iranian port Amirabad held the opening ceremony of the grain terminal, built by the Kazakhstan holding company "KazAgro" and the Iranian company "Behdis Tedjerad Albor". The terminal's production power of transfer is 700 000 tones. It enables to 53 000 tones of grain.
In the sphere of interregional cooperation
In this case the key role is fulfilled not by central state structures, but by administrative territorial unities representing relevant regions of different countries of the Caspian region.
The most active in this sphere is Astrakhan region. This year it has held: on the 26th of April the meeting of the minister for international and external economic links of Astrakhan region Denis Afanasjev with representatives of Iranian major companies in the sphere of shippings, port services and with the executive director of the free economic zone in Enzeli Firuzabadi port. As a result of the meeting Iranian cargo carriers intend to invest for development of port infrastructure of Astrakhan region to provide conditions for container shipping from Iran; on the 7-8 of May the visit of President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdymuhamedov. Within his meeting with the governor of Astrakhan region Alexander Jilkin, they discussed foundation of Turkmenistan diplomatic mission in Astrakhan, cooperation in the sphere of the complex observation of sea biologic resources, building of units for oil recovery on Turkmenistan Caspian shelf, foundation in Turkmenbashi City branches of Russian universities training tourism experts and so on.
On the 19-21 of May working visit to Turkmenistan of the official delegation from Astrakhan region headed by the minister of economic development Askar Kabikeev. Promotion of sea links between Turkmenbashi port and Olya port, direct air links between Astrakhan, Turmenbashi and Ashkhabad, foundation in Astrakhan of the Trade House
of Turkmenistan were discussed.
On the 22nd of July the visit to Astrakhan region of the official delegation from Mazandarani province (Iran). They discussed with an official representative of astrakhan region development of cooperation in the sphere of trade, construction, food industry, education and science, and foundation in Astrakhan of the Russian and Iranian Trade
House; on 30th of August the visit to Astrakhan of the official delegation from Azerbaijan headed by the director of executive power of Narimanov district of Baku, Abdin Farzaliev. The governor of the region stated that Astrakhan region and Azeraijan have many common projects, including construction of a transport terminal in 2010.
The common ways of cooperation are used by other countries of the Caspian region. For example, on 19-20 of May Baku was visited by the delegation of Mangystaus region of Kazakhstan headed by the governor of the region Krymbek Kusherbaev. Cooperation in the sphere of construction of platforms, sea basements and undersea pipelines on the Caspian Sea was discussed.
To be continued. (See http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/7838.html)
Sergey Mikheev, Managing director of the Institute for the Caspian Cooperation.
