Long disputes of Caspian Sea: Five countries decide to split up resources-opulent Caspian Sea
Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan have finally signed a legal convention on methods to manage Caspian sea and its adjoining areas.
The Caspian Sea is a geopolitically strategic body of water, equally in terms of its location and its resources. Located in a transcontinental zone between Europe and Asia, it has historically been a crucial trade and transit passage between eastern and western powers.
The Caspian Sea became more important in the present era after the discovery of substantial energy resources, including oil and natural gas.
A fair division of the Caspian seabed comprising mistreatment privileges has been subject to an argument for a part of an era now, with over and over again the governments of coastal countries — Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Russia all pledging that they were on the edge of finalizing a complete settlement.
The most important question is whether or not the Caspian waters must be seen as a river or a sea. In the prior situation, international law needs an agreement contracted by all coastal countries, allotting the whole waterbed into divisions.
A small background
During the year of 1921, the separation of the provincial waters in the Caspian contained a straight line between the Turkmen-Iranian coastal boundary post of Hasangulu and that of Astara between Iran and Azerbaijan, which simply just then had followed to the Soviets. After the dispute , Russia was then pushing for the “sea” option in the beginning up until 1997 when President Boris Yeltsin abruptly moved to a “lake-type” division noticed by a rounded north-south line along the thalweg, i.e. the arc marking the mid of the Caspian between the coastal lines.
An innovative practical approach
Russia and Kazakhstan together had made an agreement on the separation of the northern part of the Caspian Sea to make use of independent privileges for subsoil usage in July 1998. The two republics approved the agreement in May 2002.
Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan both have signed in a contract on the separation of the Caspian Sea and sanctioned in November 2001 and February 2003, correspondingly. Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, and Russia contracted a treaty on the demarcation of end-to-end units of the Caspian Sea on May 14, 2003. In 2004 Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan also contracted a treaty to explain their provincial waters, but it took an era to get it approved and approached into influence in 2015.
Iran has lately stated plans to involve Turkmenistan in its efforts to commence survey in its coastal waters, and to help the Turkmens theoretically and monetarily to enhance exploration in on- and offshore border regions. Furthermore, Iran’s state oil company has a 10% in Azerbaijan’s Shah Deniz offshore gas project, on which it receives substantial sums. Tehran’s leaders are certain to understand that mislaying their heads over separation lines is just not worth the price Iran would have to recompense for it.
The consequence of the “lake or sea” argument will have a major influence on future cylinders fetching oil and gas from Central Asia into Europe.
Additionally, until there is an agreement, the likelihood for armed battle in the county remains genuine. Previously, the absence of a clear description of the waters and seabed has directed to various clashes over oil and gas proprietorship.
All Caspian countries are building larger fleets. In the past, Iranian and Turkmen marine vessels have stressed Azerbaijani oil and gas survey setups.
Results of the latest summit
The convention signed at the current summit has confirmed that the surface of the Caspian Sea would be legally categorized as a sea, meaning each country would control 15 nautical miles of water from its shoreline for mineral exploration and 25 natural miles of coastline for fishing.
All other parts of the Caspian Sea would be considered neutral waters for common use. The summit also gave important security decisions, including an treaty that military vessels from non-Caspian states would be forbidden from arriving the sea.