گاه باره سیاست

 ‌By Afifeh Abedi / Iran Daily /29 Aban

The summit of Caspian Sea littoral states was held in the Azeri Republic on Thursday. Almost two decades after negotiations began on how to share the sea’s resources and determine the Caspian legal regime, the outcome has not been noticeable for Tehran.

Although the Baku meeting opened new vistas for future talks by concluding a security cooperation agreement, serious challenges linger.

Iran insists that the treaties it signed with the former Soviet Union in 1921 and 1940 should be the basis for future talks. It would not be possible for the Islamic state to agree to any document that, in letter and spirit, goes against its interests.

Some littoral states in the past have ignored Iran’s rights and divided the northern section of the largest closed reservoir in the world through bilateral/trilateral accords. These countries say the same, if not similar, mechanism can and should be used for the southern flank of the sea and consider this method of division as a cornerstone of talks that can produce results.

Bilateral and trilateral accords that have been concluded are valid for the signatories. Nevertheless, for an issue like the Caspian legal regime that involves five legal parties, these (separate) accords are a serious hurdle to negotiations which should be built on trust.

Differences of opinion should not be an obstacle or lead to self-styled agreements among two or three littoral states. Adding to difference and disputes would apparently harm all five neighbors.

The issue of determining the legal regime has several facets and is not necessarily restricted to the share of each state from the sea’s vast energy resources. Other key subjects are transportation and transit, security, organized crime, extremism, border control, environmental concerns and biological resources.

It is natural that these issues too should be addressed by the Caspian neighbors in a spirit of understanding and effective cooperation. Expanding collaboration can help pave the way for an economic and security organization in the region, eventually help settle disputes and pave the way for finalizing the long-awaited legal regime.