Iran urges to settle Caspian dispute by talks among littoral states

Iran said on Monday that all issues and disputes over the Caspian Sea should be resolved through negotiations only among the littoral states, the official IRNA news agency reported.

"Any interference by other countries will not only lead to new challenges, but will make the issue more complicated," Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi was quoted as saying at the 17th meeting of the Caspian Sea working group.

The conference, which kicked off here on Monday, gathered representatives of five Caspian Sea littoral states, namely, Iran, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.

The five countries have not yet reached an agreement on key issues over the Caspian Sea like the exploitation of resources since the split of the former Soviet Union.

In an effort to put an end to the disputes, Kharazi said the Caspian Sea could serve as a platform for effective cooperation among the littoral states and expansion of amicable ties in the region, stressing the need to continue negotiations in order to reach a unanimous agreement.

He added that Iran was willing to speed up efforts toward an agreement among the Caspian Sea littoral states on the major topics.

The Iranian minister also called for drawing up some related principles required to systematize the relevant activities so that the littoral states will benefit from the Caspian Sea privilege.

He further said the treaty on the Caspian Sea between Iran and the former Soviet Union is still legitimate.

"Until a new agreement is reached among the littoral states, the current legal regime based on the treaty signed between Iran and the former Soviet Union will be still valid and legal," he said.

Meanwhile, Kharazi urged to avoid unilateral measures in conflict with the interests of the littoral states, calling upon the countries concerned to be flexible with a constructive attitude to settle the disputes.

In addition, Iran's special representative for the Caspian Sea Affairs Mehdi Safari voiced Tehran's opposition to the militarization of the Caspian region.

Source: Xinhua