Iran Press-In an exclusive interview with Iran Press international news agency, Dr Ahmad Amir Abadi Farahani the member of the Iranian Majlis executive committee who was talking on the significance of the new legal regime convention signed by Caspian Sea littoral states while referring to increase of the number of the Caspian Sea Littoral states after the fall of the former soviet Union, described the convention as a good tool for harmonizing among the 5 Caspian Sea Littoral States so that while they could work together, they could also defend each other's rights.
The top Iranian parliamentarian went on to say that topics considered in the convention will include prohibition of non-regional countries ( hostile nations) enter the Sea for military purposes, so that other countries will not be able to interfere in regional affairs . He also said that the real aim is for the Caspian Sea to be considered as a sea for peace so that the leaders of the Caspian sea states could live together and cooperate with each other peacefully and decide how to solve existing problems in the region .
Amir Abadi Farahani stressed the fact that the articles of the convention also approved the foregoing obligations. While the top parliamentarian described Iran's quota more than other countries, he stressed that Iran should be careful not to let the other countries step in and fan the flames of the disunity among the Caspian Sea Littoral states.
The convention was signed by Presidents of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Republic of Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan on Sunday Aug 12, in Aktau, Kazakhstan, during the fifth Caspian Sea littoral states summit.
Speaking at Mehrabad airport on Sunday morning before leaving for Kazakhstan Summit, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Caspian Sea is of special importance and a unique maritime environment, and it is important for all its' littoral states to sort out how to take advantage of it.
“This convention completely bans the presence of foreign warships in this sea and this is very important for national security of the littoral states”, Iranian President added.
Meanwhile, some 90% of the Caspian Sea legal regime convention has been finalized which is signed in Aktau, Iranian Foreign Ministry's Center for Public Diplomacy and Media Affairs said in a statement on Sunday.
The statement also said that six other agreements – on transit, trade and economy, fight against terrorism, countering organized crimes, cooperation of border guards, and preventing military conflicts – also be signed on the sidelines of the summit meeting of the Caspian Sea littoral states in Aktau.
The Caspian Sea littoral states also announced that the Sea will remain the sea of peace and friendship among the member-states, banning the presence of military forces of the third countries in the Sea, the statement said.
Navigation in the Sea will only be possible under the flag of one of the five littoral states and they cannot let any alien country to use their territory for military aggression against another littoral state, according to the statement.
Oil resources of the Sea which are not disputed can be exploited and when there is a dispute over joint resources, the related countries should reach an agreement and if an agreement is not reached, the resources will not be exploited, the agreement said.
The first meeting of the Caspian states’ leaders was held in Ashgabat in 2002, and the other summits were convened in Tehran, Baku and Astrakhan.
The Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water in the world and accounts for 40 to 44 percent of the total lacustrine waters of the world. The coastlines of the Caspian are shared by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan.
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