Russia expects Iran to ratify Caspian Sea convention ahead of 2026 summit — FM

Russia expects Iran to ratify the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea before the summit of Caspian littoral states scheduled to take place in Tehran in August 2026, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.

Speaking in an interview with media corporation "Gosteleradio Irana," Lavrov recalled that all members of the Caspian “five” have already ratified the convention, with Iran being the only remaining country, per Caliber.Az. 

“The Islamic Republic of Iran is the only one still pending. Given the rapid and turbulent developments in the world and around this part of Eurasia, it is important to finally закрепить the principle of non-interference by non-Caspian countries in regional affairs. Therefore, we are very much counting on Tehran’s ratification of this convention,” Lavrov stressed.

He also noted that Iran has proposed hosting the next Caspian states summit in Tehran in August 2026.

“I hope that by the time of this event, the convention will already be fully operational in both international legal and practical terms,” the Russian foreign minister added.

Signed on August 12, 2018, at the Fifth Caspian Summit in Aktau, Kazakhstan, the Convention establishes the Caspian's "special legal status"—neither fully a sea (under UNCLOS) nor a lake—dividing surface waters for navigation while allowing bilateral seabed delimitation for resources.

By Khagan Isayev