Стр. 12 - V

Упрощенная HTML-версия

Author : D. Mikerin
Second Secretary, Working Group for the Caspian Sea, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Fed-
eration
DEALING WITH THE GAMUT OF ISSUES that
have caused disputes over the legal regime governing
the use of the Caspian Sea is one of the priorities of
Russian foreign policy.
FOR MOST OF THE 20TH CENTURY, the legal
regime of the Caspian Sea was determined by Soviet-
Iranian agreements signed between 1921 and 1940.
Those accords allowed free navigation and free fishing
throughout the Caspian except in the two countries' 10-
mile littoral zones but barred the inland sea to vessels from non-Caspian countries. This state
of affairs was brought to an end by the collapse of the Soviet Union, with the latter being re-
placed as a Caspian littoral country by four independent states. This new state of affairs is not a
legal vacuum, because the Soviet-Iranian accords remain in force. However, the Soviet Union's
collapse has given rise to issues that those agreements cannot address. These issues include sov-
ereignty over offshore oil and gas fields, and over the rights of the littoral states in the use of
subsoil resources and in fishing, and boundaries of areas of national jurisdiction.
The Caspian Flotilla does not have a mission of being a potential strike force against neighboring
littoral states. It is a counterweight to non-Caspian powers that assume they have a right to almost
unlimited control over the Caspian.
Astrakhan's main achievement was an agreement on the demarcation of sea frontiers. That ac-
cord followed a debate that started out from what seemed diametrically opposite positions - Rus-
sia insisted that the littoral states have the right to common use of the entire sea while others
wanted the sea to be divided into national sectors.
One of the main objectives of the negotiation process is to create a regional collective security
system. The latter is to be based on the principle of collective responsibility for peace and stability,
which includes a ban on the presence of armed forces from non-Caspian countries in the sea.
Furthermore, a lot needs to be done to improve the Caspian countries' service industries. Pri-
marily, the region needs a better financial sector with reliable banking services for the smooth
funding of trade and production.
The upcoming signature of this fundamental document appears to have stimulated the five na-
tions to boost all forms of cooperation. The Astrakhan meeting sowed precious seeds. Whether
they will sprout depends on the summit in Astana. They will either produce a rich crop or stay
in the soil forever if they are not nourished by clear and effective legally binding agreements.
Электронное приложение к журналу «
Международная жизнь
»
Untying the Caspian Knot: Mission Accomplishable