Azerbaijan prepares Caspian Sea draft agreement

Azerbaijan has prepared a draft of an agreement taking into account the approaches of the Caspian countries and presented it during a Baku meeting of deputy ministers of foreign affairs of Caspian states, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov said, Trend reports.

"We believe that the harmonization of the points of view of Caspian states on a matter of principle in the process of working out of a draft of convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea will create the basis for the next summit of the heads of the Caspian States" - the minister said at the opening of the meeting.
The meeting is dedicated to the draft of the agreement on cooperation of border guard agencies, customs and interior affairs departments in the sphere of Caspian Sea security.
Foreign ministers noted that, in agreeing on a draft of the convention of the legal status of the Caspian Sea, many important elements still remain open. Among these issues the minister named the use of the sea’s surface, completion of the delimitation of the seabed, fishing, boating, including problems related to security - demilitarization, and the movement of warships.

"However, it must be stressed that in the draft of convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea proposals on environmental issues and use of bio-resources have been agreed. Hopefully, this will provide the basis for a decision on the delimitation of the water surface, which is one of the most important issues,” he emphasized.

"Azerbaijan is convinced that an improvement in the investment climate, mastering energy resources, the establishment of peace and stability in the region reflect the interests of the countries of the region. The Baku-Supsa, Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline, the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline, as well as the implementation of the projects on the Baku-Tbilisi-Erzurum gas pipeline and the creation of the railroad Baku-Tbilisi-Kars serve the economic development and prosperity of the region and strengthening of global energy security,” Mamedyarov added.

According to the minister, if the draft provided by the Azerbaijani side is agreed upon, preparations should start for the Third Summit of Heads of the Caspian states in Baku.

"Azerbaijan has always been a supporter of activities in the Caspian states on the basis of the principles of respect for sovereignty and the equality of states, and the non-use of force and the threat of force. Azerbaijan is convinced that the establishment of equal security in the Caspian Sea will create conditions for the use of Caspian Sea is fully peaceful way and turn it into a zone of neighborliness, friendship and cooperation,” he went on.

The minister noted that Azerbaijan attaches special importance to the development of bilateral and multilateral cooperation on the basis of universally recognized principles and norms of international law in the fight against terrorism and organized crime, as well as illicit drug and arms sales.

The minister said that Azerbaijan considers that the subject of the draft of the agreement at this meeting should include issues of cooperation between border and customs agencies, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry for Emergencies, Transport and Marine Administration.

Military and political aspects of security in the Caspian Sea should be discussed and solved within the framework of the draft of the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, he said.

"We hope that in the conclusion of the two-day meeting, the eventual text based on the current draft will be worked out, and in the future it will act as the legal foundation for cooperation between the Caspian countries in the field of security," the minister concluded.