Presidents of the five countries bordering the Caspian Sea are to hold a summit on March 8th and 9th in the Turkmen port of Turkmenbashi, according to a Turkmen government official on February 14th.
He said that: “Our president’s initiative on holding a summit … has been approved by the heads of state of Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakstan and Iran.”
The meeting will focus on defining the legal status of the Caspian and dividing the natural resources of the region between the five surrounding states.
Borders in the area have yet to be delineated nearly a decade after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the status of the inland sea is currently defined by an agreement reached between the Soviet Union and Iran in 1970.
Russian and Azeri officials had discussed the delineation of borders in the region on January 9th, with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azeri President Haydar Aliyev signing a document establishing guidelines for demarcating borders in the region.
The two presidents had agreed that the issue must be resolved in conjunction with all five bordering states.
The summit is also expected to center on discussions of regional security issues, and the five leaders could sign an agreement on naval activity in the Caspian.
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
