Azernews.Az

MOSCOW – Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov said Wednesday Moscow remains opposed to dividing the Caspian Sea into several national sectors, according to local reports, Xinhua reported.

The official said such a division would require a radical review of the principles that governed the use of the world's largest salt lake shared by five countries.

"Russia always considered the Caspian Sea as a unique landlocked basin and opposes dividing it into national sectors because this will require a radical review of guidelines regulating the use of this reservoir over the past 70 years," Ivanov told a meeting of the Russian government's Maritime Board held in the Caspian town of Astrakhan.

Russia believes that certain types of Caspian resources like aquatic resources, are indivisible, Ivanov said, adding that all the Caspian states need to coordinate their policies on conservation.

The Caspian Sea is surrounded by Azerbaijan, Iran, Russia, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. Russia has already signed the delimitation deals on the Caspian seabed with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

Iran has suggested that all resources be shared equally among five states, even though its coast accounts for less than 14 percent. Azerbaijan has rejected this option, as it would grant a third of its Caspian shelf to the neighboring country.

The coastal nations signed a framework convention on protecting the Caspian’s resources in November 2003 in Tehran.