‘Caspian states can decide their share’

Kazakh Ambassador to Iran Bagdad Amreyev says the five Caspian littoral states are fully capable of deciding on their share in the sea, AVA Diplomatic reports.“Only two or three of the Caspian Sea legal regime issues remain unresolved which will be easily settled in the next meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states to be held in Moscow,” Amreyev said without referring to the date of the meeting. He added that Caspian Sea can bring its littoral states closer to one another and that littoral states should behave in a more united manner.

The Caspian Sea is the largest enclosed body of water on earth by area, variously classed as the world’s largest lake or a full-fledged sea.

Caspian Sea littoral states consist of Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan. They have been debating their share in the Caspian Sea legal regime since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The Caspian Sea legal regime is based on two agreements signed between Iran and the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1921 and 1940. The three new littoral states, established after the collapse of the Soviet Union, do not recognize the prior treaties, triggering a debate on the future status of the sea.