E. Mammadyarov: Laying a pipeline under the Caspian Sea should be resolved within the framework of international law

The presence of armed forces of the parties and the military activities in the Caspian Sea should be based on the principle of equal security conditions for all littoral states. This was stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, speaking Tuesday at a meeting of foreign ministers of the Caspian countries in Moscow.

He said that five countries have agreed to sign an agreement on cooperation in the field of hydrometeorology of the Caspian Sea. They also agreed on cooperation in the field of prevention and liquidation of emergency situations in the Caspian Sea.

Work is also continuing on the final agreement of experts on the conservation and rational use of biological resources of the Caspian Sea.

Completion of all the Caspian states ratifying the Agreement on Security Cooperation in the Caspian Sea, signed November 18, 2010 in Baku, will give new impetus to the close cooperation of the parties in this area, said Mammadyarov.

Azerbaijan shares a common concern about the current state of the Caspian environment and the need to address environmental issues of the sea.

The Caspian Sea is a link in many international and regional projects. The success of projects connecting the Caspian Sea with the Black Sea and the Mediterranean , such as the Baku -Supsa , Baku - Tbilisi - Ceyhan oil pipelines , as well as implementation of projects via the Baku -Tbilisi -Erzurum gas pipeline and railway Baku- Tbilisi-Kars serve economic development and welfare of the Caspian regional and global energy security .

"We proceed from the understanding that the presence of the armed forces of the parties and military activities in the Caspian Sea should be based on the principle of equal security conditions for all littoral states," said the Minister.

"We stress the importance of freedom of transit for landlocked Caspian littoral states from the Caspian Sea to other seas and oceans.

We hope that all issues related to the regime for merchant shipping, the right of innocent passage of ships through the sides of the zone under the national sovereignty of other parties, laying of cables and pipelines under the Caspian Sea, as well as the conduct of marine scientific research will be addressed in the negotiation process in accordance with international maritime law,"said Mammadyarov . -02D-