Russia obtained a ban on the appearance of NATO ships on the Caspian Sea: an expert

Difficult negotiations held on August 12 in Aktau between the five Caspian states: Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran, that has been lasting for 22 years, ended in phenomenal success. Five presidents signed the final convention on the status of the Caspian Sea, in which they agreed on maritime state borders, common water territory, ecology, hydrocarbon production, fishing. The main thing in this treaty, of course, is the harmonization of maritime boundaries.

The phenomenality of the pentagonal treaty is that despite disputes, not a single Caspian country has gone into conflict with its neighbor, no one has died from the unsettled sea borders. Even when Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan did not agree on the ownership of the offshore oil field and warships appeared at sea, there was no shot. Everything is settled peacefully. President I.Aliyev called the convention "historical".

Elkhan Shainoglu, a Director of the Atlas Analytical Center, calls the signed convention "the constitution of the Caspian". Henceforth the Caspian Sea is not a sea or a lake, it has become a unique giant reservoir of the planet. Not the sea because it has no outlet to the ocean, and not the lake because of its incredible size.

Concerning the difficulties that the five countries had to face, the political scientist accentuated the factor of Iran, which for many years insisted on an equal division of the sea territory. Tehran has moved away from this position, opening the way to the final convention, henceforth each country receives a coastal strip 15 miles wide for use. In a 10 mile zone these countries can fish, the rest of the sea territory is declared common. But this applies only to the surface of the Caspian Sea.

Pipelines can be laid along the seabed, but with the consent of the parties and notification of all Caspian countries, provided the environment is protected. Consequently, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan can lay their trans-Caspian pipeline on the bottom.

The Caspian countries pledged not to allow other states to bring their warships to the Caspian, and the military cooperation of the Caspian countries will be on an ongoing basis. This point is necessary for the interests of Iran and Russia, as these countries are opposed to the emergence of NATO and the US in the Caspian Sea through Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Until now, Baku and Astana have confined themselves to maritime cooperation with the United States and NATO in the form of the appearance of NATO boats and logistics schemes in the Caspian. This frightened Tehran and Moscow, hence their insistence on the appearance of this clause of the convention.

Determining the status of the Caspian Sea and ending disputes can stimulate China's interest in the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which is very important for Azerbaijan. It is enough to attract 10% of all Chinese cargo traffic to Europe, so that the road will work at full power.

E.Shainoglu points to the main disadvantage of the convention: it did not determine the disagreement about the day of the reservoir. The Caspian Sea floor should be divided according to international laws, with the signing of relevant documents. The uncertainty of the bottom of the Caspian Sea is Azerbaijan's biggest problem in this region. Baku has signed bilateral agreements with Russia and Kazakhstan, but we do not have agreements on the bottom with Iran and Turkmenistan. Tehran and Ashgabat demand more than Baku is ready to recognize for them.

E. Shainoglu explains the reason for Iran's compliance with the Caspian issue by the difficult political and economic situation of Iran as a result of American sanctions. Western companies left Iran, there is no free money in the country, no allies, so Iran could not continue demonstrating its intransigence. The new circumstance creates the opportunity for Baku to obtain from Iranians the definition of general principles of seabed division. It is important for Baku to persuade Tehran to sign a bilateral agreement. Despite American sanctions, Baku does not refuse cooperation with Iran, including Azerbaijani investments in the neighboring country. Responding with kindness, Tehran must sign a bilateral agreement with Baku on the Caspian day, otherwise the Azerbaijani-Iranian relations will not be ideal, the political scientist stresses.

From now on, the prospect of an agreement between Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan becomes more real. If Ashgabat intends to transport gas to Europe, it must negotiate with Baku and accelerate the laying of the pipeline along the Caspian seabed. A disputable deposit Kapaz (Sardar - Turkmen name) can be developed and operated jointly by the two countries. Thus, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan can solve all the few issues. Trans-Caspian Azerbaijan-Turkmenistan pipeline is needed not only for these countries, but also for Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

The signed convention and the prospect of new bilateral agreements between Baku, Tehran and Ashgabat strengthens the new regional format: Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, which can turn into a profitable institution. The new regional structure opens the way to the following formats of cooperation between the five powers," the director of the Atlas Analytical Center believes.