The Majilis, the lower house of parliament of Kazakhstan, has approved a bill that ratifies the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea.

“As a direct participant in the negotiation process, I can confidently say that the delegations of the five coastal states have done a lot of hard work on the basic document, taking into account the interests of all parties,” Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said during a plenary session of the Majilis on December 26. “All parties highly appreciated the merits of Kazakhstan in this document, the personal contribution of the head of our state, the success of the summit, his constructive position throughout the entire negotiation process,” he added.

The parliament of Turkmenistan has also ratified the Convention, which was signed by all of the Caspian littoral nations earlier in 2018, including Russia, Iran, and Azerbaijan after 20 years of on-again-off-again negotiations.

The basic principles of the agreement include the rights and obligations of the parties regarding the use of the Caspian Sea, including its waters, bottom, subsoil, natural resources, and airspace.

 

Full article available: https://www.neweurope.eu/article/kazakhstan-approves-caspian-sea-legal-status-bill/