THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE CASPIAN SEA: AN IRANIAN PERSPECTIVE

Year 2020, Volume: 16 Issue: 2, 443 - 459, 31.12.2020

Hülya Kınık , Süleyman Erkan

Abstract

The
Caspian Sea is considered to be one of the most significant strategic regions
in the world in terms of including vast mineral resources. For this reason, the
problem of sharing of natural resources between the coastal states (Iran,
Russia, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan) has continued for a long time.
Apart from the five coastal states, especially Europe, USA, India and China,
whose energy needs continue to rise day by day, have started to move towards
the Caspian Basin, thus resulting in a constant struggle for hegemony in the
region.

Consisting of 24 articles, the Convention on the Legal
Status of the Caspian Sea was settled on 12 August 2018 between Caspian coastal
countries in Aktau after 22 years of discussions involving five summits and 50
special working group meetings. The Convention has granted the Caspian Sea a
new “special legal status” raising important questions about the decisions
taken in the deal and it is regarded to be inadequate in resolving complex
issues in terms of maritime borders and the fair delimitation of its resources.
The division of the mineral-rich seabed will also be determined by negotiations
in the future. In this regard, this paper aims to outline the views and the efforts of
Iran to develop a legal regime for the sea and to evaluate the decisions of the
Aktau summit with regard to its effects on Iran.

Keywords

Iran, Caspian Basin, Aktau Convention, Legal Status, Energy Resources

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