Caspian Sea status still unclear

Moscow recently hosted a meeting of working groups attended by representatives from five Caspian Basin countries: Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan. The meeting was dedicated to the elaboration of a project which involves setting up a convention which would clarify the legal status of the Caspian Sea. However many serious issues remained unresolved after the meeting.

Iran in particular maintains a firm position on the division of the Caspian Sea. It demands that the Caspian Sea is divided into 5 equal parts, with each bordering country possessing 20 % of the Caspian Sea each, thus ensuring that every party protected their national interests.

The next meeting of the working groups is scheduled to be held in Askhabad, capital of Turkmenistan.