The problem of Caspian Sea status, which exists for 25 years, still generates conflict situations today, so it should be resolved as soon as possible, senior researcher at the Institute of Socio-Political Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, candidate of sociological sciences, Igor Seleznev, said in an interview with Vestnik Kavkaza, commenting on the upcoming Caspian summit in Astana, the date of which has not been determined yet.
The expert noted that right now there are no legal obstacles to determining the status of the Caspian Sea. "Everything depends solely on political will and economic interests of the Caspian Five countries, nothing can prevent resolution of this international legal problem. It should be resolved as soon as possible, especially considering those acute issues that emerge increasingly often," he said.
"In my opinion, at the moment there are no issues that can't be resolved. Everything can be achieved and settled during the negotiation process. Perhaps it's necessary to create special executive commissions," he suggested.
He explained that joint work on different projects, for example between Russia and Azerbaijan, could be of particular importance, considering all ecological and environmental issues of the Caspian Sea.
"This would allow to resolve broader task, it would make Caspian Sea a zone of peace and cooperation, possibly helping to reduce uncontrolled militarization of the Caspian Sea and increase the level of trust between all the Caspian littoral states," he concluded.
