Russia ratified the Convention on the Status of the Caspian sea

Baku/19.09.19/Turan: The State Duma of the Russian Federation at a meeting on Thursday ratified the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, TASS reported.

The Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea was signed by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan at the Fifth Caspian Summit in August 2018 in Aktau.

This international treaty replaced the Soviet-Iranian treaties of 1921 and 1940 regarding the Caspian Sea [3]. In accordance with the convention, the main surface area of ​​the Caspian Sea is recognized as the sea, not a lake, with legal consequences arising from this.

The Caspian Sea remains in the common use of the parties, and the bottom and subsoil are divided by neighboring states into sections by agreement between them based on international law. Shipping, fishing, scientific research and the laying of trunk pipelines are carried out according to the rules agreed by the parties.

In particular, when laying a trunk pipeline along the bottom of the sea, only the consent of the party through whose sector the pipeline will run is required.

The convention also contains a provision on preventing the presence of armed forces on the Caspian that are not owned by the parties to the treaty, and also defines the five Caspian states responsible for maintaining maritime security and managing its resources.

"The Caspian Sea has important geopolitical, trade, economic and strategic importance, a unique ecological system. It unites Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan with its exceptional location," said State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin. According to him, signing the convention was "a significant achievement of diplomacy and confirmation of friendly relations" of the participating countries.

It should be noted that the Convention on the Status of the Caspian has already been ratified by the parliaments of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. -02D-