There is no common approach among
littoral countries of the Caspian sea regarding the legal basis of the Caspian Sea.
Relations between Caspian countries regarding exploitation of the sea determinate two
treaties concluded in 1921 – between Soviet Russia and Persia, and also in 1940
–between Soviet Union and Iran.
Baku, Moscow and Astana have basically agreed on
a solution dividing the bottom of the sea and keeping the water common, however,
Iran’s position remains the main impediment to a solution. In a recent interview to
Teheran TV, the Iranian minister of foreign affairs Kamal Kharazzi declared that interests
of all littoral countries should be taken into consideration. Hence Iran considers the
condominium principle the best solution to the Caspian’s status and sticks to the
stance that if Caspian countries should come to a decision to divide the sea, the same
regime should be applied for the water and for the seabed. Iran believes it should thereby
receive 20% of the sea. Moreover, Iran proposed joint exploitation of disputed oil fields.
On January 24 this year, during meeting of the
special representatives of the Caspian countries, the first signs of an emerging common
position were observed. At the completion of the summit, a communiqué on working out a
status convention was signed. At the time, Iranian deputy minister of foreign affairs
Mehdi Safari called the meeting "useful and constructive".
At the end of February, an international
conference in Moscow was used as another non-formal meeting of Caspian littoral
states’ special representatives. For the first time in 10 years, the Caspian states
agreed to create a joint center of environment monitoring, to form an economic community
of Caspian countries, and to accelerate negotiations on the status.
During a meeting of the heads of state of the
CIS countries in late February in Almaty, Turkmenistan’s President Saparmurad Niyazov
proposed Caspian states’ leaders to meet on April 23-24 in Ashgabat.
On March 15, Iranian President Syed Mohammad
Khatami told Niyazov he supported the idea to hold a summit of the five Caspian countries.
Meanwhile, on the eve of the planned summit, the
US position on the issue became known. The Secretary f State’s advisor on Caspian
issues Stephen Mann said that the exploitation of the oil resources of the Caspian was
possible even without determining its legal status.
In addition Mann said any future agreement
should not compromise the transportation of Caspian oil to world markets.
This statement was qualified as novel by
political scientist Vafa Guluzade. In 1993, the U.S. administration insisted on the speedy
determination of Caspian Sea status, considering that without that, the full exploitation
of oil resources would be impossible. The recent statement implies that the U.S. now
proceeds from the de facto state of affairs, in other words opposing a serious
reorientation of de-facto existing Caspian national sectors, according to Guluzade.
Washington’s statement can be considered as
a support for official Baku. That is particularly important in the light of Russian
statements to the effect that consideration should be given to countries that are
disadvantaged by nature. In reality, Moscow in no uncertain terms points to a desire to
ensure that some Caspian countries, including Azerbaijan, would even in the case of a
sectoral division have to cede part of their share in favor of Russia and Iran.
According to former Presidential advisor Eldar
Namazov, the U.S. position seems to signify an unequivocal tough response of Washington to
threats from official Teheran in March to exploit Caspian oil fields that Azerbaijan
considers its own. Mann’s statement shows that Washington does not share the position
of some countries of the region, primarily Russia, that all Caspian sea problems including
the exploitation of oil fields, should be decided exclusively by the five coastal
countries – giving others, including the U.S., no right to interfere in the
resolution of these issues.
Despite the increased concurrence of the
positions of the Caspian littoral states, there are still tensions regarding the Caspian
Sea’s status. A speedy resolution of the problem seems imporbable in the immediate
future.
Gulnara Ismailova
journalist, based in Baku, Azerbaijan