Caspian Sea Convention Won't Affect Sea Delimitation: Iranian Official

Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, stated that the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea will not affect the delimitation of the sea's seabed and subsoil. In an interview published on Saturday, he explained that such delimitation must be determined through separate agreements between countries with adjacent and opposite coasts.

The interview comes as the Iranian government has decided to urgently submit the convention to parliament for ratification. Iran is the only Caspian littoral state that has not yet ratified the convention. The decision has sparked public debate over the convention's provisions, Iran's rights and interests in the Caspian, and questions about the country's share of the sea.

According to Gharibabadi, the government's decision was based on three main considerations: changes in the security environment around the Caspian Sea, the need to strengthen economic and commercial cooperation among littoral states, and the resolution of certain legal issues concerning the sea. He noted that the security situation around the Caspian has changed significantly over the past two years, particularly as the presence of non-littoral actors in the region has increased as a result of decisions by some coastal states.

Gharibabadi also said the convention could facilitate greater economic and commercial cooperation among the five Caspian littoral states, including in fisheries, transportation, and transit. He attributed delays in concluding several cooperation agreements to the fact that the convention has yet to enter into force.

Addressing concerns raised in Iran over the convention, Gharibabadi said issues such as Iran's share of the Caspian Sea, its energy resources, water level, baseline, and seabed delimitation should not be conflated with the convention itself. He said the administration respects the concerns of critics and plans to hold meetings with academics and researchers holding different views on the Caspian issue, adding that their concerns should be addressed through documented and reasoned responses.

On security provisions, Gharibabadi said Article 3 of the convention prohibits the presence and even transit of armed forces belonging to non-littoral states in the Caspian Sea. The littoral states have also undertaken not to allow their territories to be used by other states for acts of aggression or other military actions against another member state.

According to Mehr News Agency, the interview was conducted this week as the Iranian government decided to submit the convention to parliament. The report added that the convention, signed by the five littoral states in 2018, has been ratified by all other states except Iran.