Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has spoken out against third countries' interference in defining the status of the Caspian Sea

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

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"I believe, it is up to the five Caspian states to resolve the problem, without third countries interfering. The question is about our interests, and the sea must unite us, become the sea of friendship, cooperation and commerce," Nazarbayev told a press conference in Baku, which was also attended by Azerbaijani President Ilkham Aliyev. "After all, the interests of the Caspian states must prevail, and we should promote them," the Kazakh president added. Nazarbayev said that Russia, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan shared opinions on the median line, coastal waters and "open, demilitarized sea". "Iran's position is a little different, and our negotiators are working hard to reach consensus," Nazarbayev said. According to him, a regular meeting of Caspian leaders is to be held in Tehran, and the date will be fixed after the president of Iran is elected. President Aliyev said in his turn that the "agreements that had been reached between Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia and Russia and Azerbaijan could lay the groundwork for a multilateral treaty between all the Caspian states". "The three countries have absolutely finished talks, and signed agreements, which delimit national sectors," the Azerbaijani president said. At the same time, the president stressed that although the status of the Caspian Sea had not been completely defined, "this fact did not prevent foreign investors from working in the Azerbaijani sector of the Caspian Sea". "Billions of dollars invested in this region have made it possible to create a modern oil infrastructure, develop deposits and extract hydrocarbon resources, construct pipelines," Aliyev said. In other words, in spite of the indefinite status of the Caspian Sea, there have been no delays in the implementation of economic projects, the official underlined.

Bookmark Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has spoken out against third countries' interference in defining the status of the Caspian Sea