SWG Agreed on Laying Pipelines under Caspian Sea

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry press service issued a communiqué on the results of the 25-26 January 2017 48th Baku meeting of the Special Working Group (SWG) on the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers of the Caspian states.

The meeting was attended by the delegations of the Republic of Azerbaijan (Head - Kh. Khalafov), the Islamic Republic of Iran (Head - I. Rahimpour), the Republic of Kazakhstan (Head - Z. Amanzholova), the Russian Federation (Head - I. Bratchikov) and Turkmenistan (Head - M. Atadzhanov).

Chairing the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Kh. Khalafov in his opening remarks stressed that the agreement on principles of the Heads of State and Foreign Ministers of the Caspian countries created the necessary conditions for a significant convergence and achievement of significant results. Khalafov noted that the holding of the Summit at the end of the coordination of all the fundamental provisions of the draft Convention should have as its aim the creation of a comprehensive legal framework for further collaboration and cooperation of the Caspian states.

 During the meeting it was discussed and agreed about provisions of the draft Convention relating to the sovereignty, jurisdiction, security, the establishment of the territorial waters and fishing zone, the methodology for determining baselines, the delimitation of the seabed and subsoil, the passage of warships through the sea as well as the laying of cables and pipelines.

The delegations welcomed the outcome of the talks and expressed their gratitude to the Republic of Azerbaijan for the excellent organization of the meeting.

The next meeting of the Special Working Group will be held in Turkmenistan. Its holding will be agreed through diplomatic channels. -06D--