Beirut: Deputy Foreign Minister for Legal and International Affairs Kazem Gharibabadi says the ratification and entry into force of the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea will have no impact on the delimitation of the seabed and subsoil of the body of water. Speaking at IRNA's Diplomacy Desk, Gharibabadi said in an interview published on Saturday that the delimitation of the Caspian seabed and subsoil must be determined through separate agreements between countries with adjacent and opposite coasts.
According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the interview with Gharibabadi was conducted this week as the Iranian government has decided to urgently submit the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea to parliament. Iran is the only Caspian littoral state that has not yet ratified the convention. The government's decision comes amid public debate over the convention's provisions, Iran's rights and interests in the Caspian, and questions surrounding the country's share of the sea.
Gharibabadi explained that the decision was based on three main considerations: changes in the security environment around the Caspian Sea, the need to strengthen economic and commercial cooperation among littoral states, and the resolution of certain legal issues concerning the sea.
He highlighted that the security situation around the Caspian has changed significantly over the past two years, particularly as the presence of non-littoral actors in the region has increased due to decisions by some coastal states.
Gharibabadi also mentioned that the convention could facilitate greater economic and commercial cooperation among the five Caspian littoral states, including in fisheries, transportation, and transit. He attributed delays in concluding several cooperation agreements to the fact that the convention has yet to enter into force.
Addressing concerns raised in Iran over the convention, Gharibabadi emphasized that issues such as Iran's share of the Caspian Sea, its energy resources, water level, baseline, and seabed delimitation should not be conflated with the convention itself.
He stated that the administration respects the concerns of critics and plans to hold meetings with academics and researchers holding different views on the Caspian issue. Their concerns should be addressed through documented and reasoned responses.
Gharibabadi further noted that Article 3 of the convention prohibits the presence and even transit of armed forces belonging to non-littoral states in the Caspian Sea. The littoral states have also undertaken not to allow their territories to be used by other states for acts of aggression or other military actions against another member state.
Regarding seabed and subsoil rights, he explained that Article 8 stipulates that their delimitation must be determined through agreements between states with adjacent and opposite coasts, in accordance with generally recognized principles of international law.
Gharibabadi rejected claims that ratifying the convention would undermine Iran's interests or future negotiations over the Caspian seabed, stressing that Iran's sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction over resources within its maritime area would remain intact.
He added that Iran has so far protected the area it considers its seabed and subsoil territory and has not allowed other parties to conduct drilling there.