The president of Azerbaijan approved the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea

Baku/23.02.19/Turan: On February 22, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed a law on the approval of a convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea. In addition, Aliyev approved the agreement "On cooperation in the transport sector between the Caspian states", "On the prevention of incidents in the Caspian Sea", "On trade and economic cooperation between the Caspian states". The Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea was signed by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan on August 12, 2018 in Aktau. The document defines and regulates the rights and obligations of the parties with respect to the use of the Caspian Sea, including its waters, bottom, subsoil, natural resources and airspace.

Activities at sea are based on the principles of respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, independence, the sovereign equality of states, the non-use of force or the threat of force. The principles also provide for mutual respect, cooperation, non-interference in each other"s internal affairs, the use of the Caspian Sea for peaceful purposes, and its transformation into a zone of peace, good-neighborliness, friendship and cooperation.

The activities of the parties in the Caspian Sea can be carried out in order to navigate, use and protect aquatic biological resources, explore and develop the resources of its bottom and subsoil. The water area of ​​the sea is delimited by internal waters, territorial waters not exceeding 15 nautical miles in width, measured from baselines, fishing zones 10 nautical miles wide, adjacent to territorial waters and the total body of water.

Each party in its fishing zone has the exclusive right to fish for aquatic biological resources under the convention. The Convention includes a provision to prevent the presence of armed forces of non-regional powers in the Caspian. Countries can lay submarine cables and pipelines along the bottom of the Caspian Sea, pledging to protect and preserve the ecosystem. -06D--