AKTAU. Aug 13 (Interfax) - The Caspian Five summit in Kazakhstan's Aktau has concluded in the sighing of a historical document, the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea.
The document marks the end in the coordination of stances of Russia, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Iran on the Caspian Sea's status that lasted for 22 years due to serious disagreements between the countries.
"Many years of work of negotiators and experts enabled drafting a carefully-worded text reflecting the balance of the interests of all participants," the Russian presidential press service said earlier.
The convention enters into effect on its ratification by all of its parties and the deposit of all five instruments of ratification. The document is open-ended.
In accordance with the convention, the main area of the Caspian Sea's water surface remains in the common use, while its bottom and resources are being divided by the neighboring states into sections under an agreement between them on the basis of international law.
The convention includes a provision that the presence of armed forces of extra-regional states on the Caspian Sea is inadmissible. The document defines the five Caspian Sea states responsible for maintaining security on the sea and managing its resources.
Navigation, fishery, scientific research, and main piping work are being conducted in accordance with regulations approved by the parties, the document said. An environmental factor must be obligatory taken into consideration during the implementation of large-scale sea projects, and all parties are responsible for damage inflicted on the Caspian Sea's ecosystem.