Convention on Caspian Sea may be signed in first half of 2017, Lavrov

Baku, July 14, AZERTAC The convention on legal status of the Caspian Sea may be signed in the first half of 2017, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference on Wednesday, according to TASS. "We have worked very well. We made progress in several spheres. Several issues are left, and for the remaining issues, we should just find a way to correctly document the principles coordinated by the presidents," Lavrov said after the meeting of the foreign ministers of the "Caspian Quintet" (Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan). "The bottom of the sea, as you know, is shared between neighboring countries. Russia has already made such agreements with Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. The presidents also made a principal decision about demarcation of the bodies of water in Astrakhan in 2014, in accordance with which landmarks are established in territorial sovereign waters and fishing zones," he continued. "We think that it is absolutely realistic to plan on signing the convention in 2017. I think it can be done in the first half of 2016," he added. Kazakhstani Foreign Minister Erlan Idrissov told a press conference that the summit of the Caspian Five would be held next year. "We have a common intention to sign the convention (on the legal status of the Caspian Sea). It should be done at the summit in Astana next year," Idrissov said. "We have common understanding that the Caspian Sea is the sea of peace and cooperation where principles of equality should be in force," he added. The FMs also held a meeting with Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Masimov.