Caspian Sea Convention to provide opportunities to raise Kazakhstan's transit capacity, view
"For the last 25 years the issue concerning the Caspian Sea legal status has been essential for all five parties. We see that the positions of the parties keep on narrowing lately and it brings hope that the sides will come to a consensus. The draft Caspian Sea Legal Status Convention was developed last December. Kazakhstan's as well as foreign diplomats cautiously suggest that the Convention will be finally signed at the Aktau Summit," senior researcher at the international studies department, Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies, Anastasia Reshetnyak told Kazinform.
According to her, the Convention is a fundamental document to regulate all relations at the Caspian Sea.
"The process of signing was delayed for the parties had to deal with lots of issues. The nations signed a lot of documents to regulate certain spheres of cooperation. As for the sea-bed delimitation, Kazakhstan has completed separation with is neighbors in 2014. It was an achievement. And the Convention will formalize the success attained and approve their legitimacy within international law. Many of those agreements are bilateral," she went on.
At the beginning of the negotiation process the parties took quite tough stances that were contradictory in some issues.
"There were many nuances that should have been coordinated then. In this context Kazakhstan's position is advantageous for it rests on the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as of 1982 with subtleties that would reflect the particular status of the Caspian Sea. The Caspian Sea is a unique lake, it should be treated particularly. Kazakhstan has worked much on rapprochement of positions of the nations," she resumed.
Reshetnyak also highlighted great prospects to have the country's transit potential raised If the document is signed.