Iran’s FM: Caspian Convention A Prelude to New Treaties
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Although the long-awaited convention on the legal regime of the Caspian Sea is settling a series of debates after 21 years, it starts a fresh round of talks on the outstanding issues and future agreements, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said.
Addressing the 5th Caspian summit in the Kazakh city of Aktau on Saturday evening, Zarif hailed the “friendly and constructive” atmosphere in the Caspian talks, saying such gathering and the recent achievement of a protocol on Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) show a promising future for the Caspian nations.
Signing of the Caspian Sea legal regime convention ends 21 years of discussions, but it would not halt negotiations on the other issues, the Iranian minister noted, adding that it mark the beginning of negotiations to sing new agreements and implement the previous treaties.
He also expressed the hope that the Caspian states would soon resolve the outstanding issues on demarcation of maritime boundaries, the seabed shares and clear delineation of sea depth.
Zarif finally pointed to the regulations on military presence and sea transportation in the Caspian Sea, saying the convention stipulates that vessel will be allowed to sail in the sea with the flag of only one of the five littoral states, namely Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
On Sunday morning, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani left Tehran for Kazakhstan to attend the summit, sign the convention and a number of other treaties, and hold talks with top officials in the meeting.
The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed water body on earth by area, variously classed as the world's largest lake or a full-fledged sea.