Azernews.Az

By Amina Nazarli

Another session of the ad hoc working group, tasked to develop a convention on the Caspian Sea’s legal status, will be held in Baku in late January, Khalaf Khalafov, Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister, told reporters on January 20.

All countries confirmed their participation, according to the deputy minister. The working group will continue discussions on the still uncoordinated issues regarding the draft convention.

This meeting of the working group is of a preparatory character before the ministerial meeting, Khalafov said, adding that alongside the work on the preparation of the draft convention there also will be held discussions on other open questions.

The legal status have been remained unsolved during the past two decades, preventing development and exploitation of its disputable oil and gas fields and creating obstacles to the realization of major energy projects.

The Caspian littoral states – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Turkmenistan and Iran –signed a Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea in November 2003.

Russia and Kazakhstan signed an agreement on the delimitation of the northern part of the Caspian Sea in order to exercise sovereign rights for subsoil use in July 1998. The two countries signed a protocol to the agreement in May 2002.

Moreover, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan signed an agreement on the delimitation of the Caspian Sea and a protocol to it in November 2001, and February 2003, respectively.

Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on the delimitation of adjacent sections of the Caspian Sea on May 14, 2003.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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