UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the signing of the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea by the five littoral states, said his spokesperson in a Monday statement. “The Secretary-General welcomes the signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. This historic […]
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the signing of the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea by the five littoral states, said his spokesperson in a Monday statement.
“The Secretary-General welcomes the signing of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. This historic document demonstrates the importance of regional cooperation, which is vital for maintaining international peace and security,” reads the statement.
Congratulating the five signatory countries on this landmark achievement of regional cooperation and multilateralism, the statement continues that “the Secretary-General believes the Convention should prove invaluable in regulating a wide range of longstanding issues among the Caspian Sea littoral states and is a significant step in the easing of regional tensions.”
The presidents of the five coastal states of the Caspian Sea met on Sunday in Kazakhstan’s northwestern city of Aktau at the fifth Caspian summit to take stock of many years of negotiations on the legal status of the Caspian Sea. The heads of states signed the convention of the legal status of the Caspian Sea in the summit and five agreements to expand regional cooperation.
The convention regulates access to sea bed, surface water and also solves other issues such as pipeline construction, fishing, oil extraction and environmental concerns. The document, in particular, bans the presence of any non-littoral states’ armed forces in the water.
