Iran parliament research center to review Caspian Sea Convention

TEHRAN (Defapress)_ Jalali said that the convention does not deal with the water share, Jalali said that the convention does not deal with the water share.

As Iranian President Hassan Rouhani earlier said in Aktau, the reason behind Iran's membership in Caspian Sea Legal Regime Convention is to prevent certain countries from building military bases there or try to meddle in [other regional] issues, he said.

Referring to the environmental concerns of the Caspian Sea, Jalali said presently the area faces major environmental problems.
Referring to the seabed resources of the world’s largest enclosed body of water, Jalali said as Iran is located in the deeper part of the Caspian Sea, it will cost a lot for Tehran to use its resources.

Presidents of five Caspian Sea littoral states signed on Sunday the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea; a landmark instrument that is expected to expand good-neighborly relations among parties including Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Russia and Kazakhstan.

According to Iranian Foreign Ministry's Center for Public Diplomacy and Media Affairs, around 90 percent of the Caspian Sea legal regime convention has been addressed by the member states.

Only two issues – determining the base lines and delimitation of the remaining seabed and underground resources – need further negotiations, the statement said, expressing hope that these two issues will also become finalized with cooperation of all the member-states.