Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs, Kazem Gharibabadi, said on August 12 that the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea, signed in Aktau, Kazakhstan, in 2018, does not stipulate the delimitation of borders among coastal states. He emphasized that the convention only covers areas of cooperation among the five littoral countries—Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, and Azerbaijan—in matters such as security, environment, and joint resource exploitation.
According to Gharibabadi, the delimitation of the Caspian Sea is a separate issue that must be resolved through bilateral or multilateral agreements among the relevant states. He noted that Iran has held talks with its neighbors on this matter and remains ready to continue dialogue to reach fair agreements based on the principles of international law.
The statement comes as coastal states actively implement agreements related to the Caspian Sea, including the delineation of exclusive economic zones and the continental shelf. Earlier, some sources suggested that implementing the convention could affect Iran's interests in the division of marine resources, but Gharibabadi dismissed this view, affirming that the convention only provides a general legal framework and does not interfere with specific delimitation issues.
