Solid legal framework being created for interaction among Caspian states Azerbaijani top diplomat says

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has said that a solid legal framework is being created for interaction among the Caspian littoral states today.

Bayramov made these remarks during a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Caspian littoral states in Moscow, Trend reports.

He noted that Azerbaijan is a party to 15 out of 16 international legal documents on cooperation among the Caspian littoral states.

The potential of the Caspian Sea may make Azerbaijan an exporter of green energy in the near future, Bayramov said.

"Along with rich oil and gas reserves, the Caspian Sea has the potential of wind energy. The potential of wind energy in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea is 157 GW, which can turn Azerbaijan into an exporter of green energy in the near future," Bayramov said.

According to the minister, Azerbaijan has modern infrastructure, transportation and logistics capabilities, which continue to expand.

Addressing the expanded meeting of foreign ministers of the Caspian states, Bayramov said that the current meeting is taking place in conditions of high turbulence in the region, which emphasizes the importance of the parties’ compliance with such points as territorial integrity, sovereignty, and non-use of force by the countries mentioned in the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. Thus, the Caspian Sea will become a space of peace, friendship and cooperation.

The diplomat emphasized the importance of the early entry into force of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, which was discussed for many years and was signed in 2018. He noted that Azerbaijan is a party to 15 out of 16 international legal documents.

Azerbaijan is making efforts to effectively use the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (Middle Corridor), which will make it possible to utilize the transport potential of the Caspian states to the maximum extent and will contribute to the implementation of new projects for the development of transport infrastructure, Bayramov said.

“Azerbaijan today has the largest merchant fleet in the Caspian Sea, we are also building new tankers and cargo ships. At the same time, in order to increase the volume of cargo turnover from 15 million to 25 million tons, work is underway to modernize the Alat seaport. All this will create additional opportunities to ensure stable and prompt delivery of goods in the East-West and North-South directions, and will also make a significant contribution to increasing the transport potential of the Caspian Sea,” said the head of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

Moreover, according to Bayramov, an agreement was reached to hold the first meeting of a special expert group in Baku on December 18-19 this year to prepare draft documents on organizing the activities of the secretariat of the Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea, which will create an opportunity for constructive dialogue and rapprochement of positions.

The minister recalled that the issue of shallowing the Caspian Sea became the subject of comprehensive discussions by the heads of the Caspian states at the sixth Caspian summit.

Bayramov emphasized that the President of Azerbaijan proposed creating an expert group to identify the causes and determine measures to stop the shallowing of the Caspian Sea.

“Currently, work is underway to organize a corresponding meeting of experts in the city of Baku. In particular, the concept of the corresponding agenda, work program and format of participants are being worked out. I am confident that the successful work of the expert group will allow us to begin the process of locating the secretariat in the city of Baku,” he said.