Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today that great progress had been achieved during the preparation of the Caspian Sea Status Convention. According to the Russian minister, the involved parties are now approaching a common position on the matter.
"A number of documents are being drafted at the moment. Among them is a document concerning the basic principles, which are expected to be spelled out in the future convention on the Caspian Sea's official status," Lavrov is quoted as saying.
According to member of the Russian Academy of Sciences Vladimir Sazhin, such a convention may be signed only in the far future. "Let me remind you that this process has being going on for 20 years. Of course a lot has been done already, but there is still a lot to do," he said.
His view is shared by Kazakh expert Eduard Poletayev. "I guess one should not wait for a miracle. It is not going to happen today or during the September summit. All we can wait for is some kind of a preliminary agreement," he said.
