Turkmenistan considers it necessary to expedite procedures for the creation of energy infrastructure in the Caspian Sea, stated the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan, Rashid Meredov, at the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Caspian states (Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan) held in Moscow.
The key aspect of energy cooperation in the Caspian region is the implementation of Article 14 of the Convention on the Legal Status, which establishes the rights of the parties to lay cables and pipelines on the seabed, explained Meredov, the MIR24 channel reported.
"The international legal justification for such activities is beyond doubt. In this regard, efforts should be made to complete the intra-state procedures necessary for the entry into force of the protocol on environmental impact assessment in the transboundary context of the Tehran Convention and specific steps to implement this protocol," said Meredov.
He added that the establishment of underwater energy infrastructure in the Caspian meets the needs of coastal states and is an important condition for ensuring energy security and stability in Eurasia.
Meredov also proposed to hold a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Caspian states in Turkmenistan in 2024 and called for strengthening coordination among the Caspian "five" and in other formats.
"I would like to remind you of the initiative put forward by the President of Turkmenistan last year at the Ashgabat summit on the establishment of the Business Cooperation Council of the Caspian States," he recalled.
In 2018, in Aktau, the presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan signed the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea. According to Article 14, the parties to the convention can lay underwater cables and pipelines on the Caspian Sea floor, provided that their projects comply with the environmental requirements specified in international treaties.
CentralasianLIGHT.org,
December 6, 2023