Azerbaijan's President Heidar Aliyev returned from talks with officials in Iran on Monday describing his trip a success, despite failing to mend a row over energy reserves in the Caspian Sea.
"There were a lot of negotiations on the status of the Caspian," Aliyev told reporters after flying in to the Azeri capital of Baku from Tehran. "There was a definite coming together of the two sides' positions on this issue."
He added that the main achievement of the discussions was an agreement to hold a meeting in Baku on June 11th at which Azeri and Iranian experts would try to draft an agreement on Caspian borders, AFP said.
Aliyev met with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami during his visit to the Islamic Republic.
"I think the visit was very successful," said Aliyev. "This has been a turning point and the start of a new stage in relations between our two countries."
The Caspian Sea -- thought to possess the world's third-largest oil and gas reserves after the Gulf and Russia -- is disputed by the nations along its shore: Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan.
In particular, Baku and Tehran have competing claims to a major oil prospect in the south-eastern corner of the inland sea. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
