Caspian Sea Convention to enable Azerbaijan to lay pipelines along sea bottom - Foreign Ministry
BAKU. Aug 14 (Interfax) - The signed Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea fully meets Azerbaijan's economic interests, Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Halaf Halafov.
"This document fully serves the interests of our country and ensures a lengthy term and safety of the projects for extracting hydrocarbon resources being implemented in the sea and of other types of economic activity. The Convention does not limit the maintenance of these types of activity, and, on the contrary, lays a favorable foundation for their expansion," Halafov said in an interview with AzerTAg state news agency.
Azerbaijan views boosting international cooperation in the Caspian Sea as highly important, he said.
The Convention opens up new outlooks for Azerbaijan, because it recognizes the right of the Caspian states to lay cables and pipelines along the sea bottom, Halafov added. Meanwhile, the routes of pipelines will be approved only with a littoral country, in a sector of which they will be laid. At the same time, these projects should comply with international environmental documents backed by littoral states.
"These aspects of the Convention will play a vital role in developing and expanding current projects, in which Azerbaijan is a party, and will open new prospects for our country," he said.
As reported, the Caspian Five summit concluded by signing the Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea in the Kazakh city of Aktau on August 12.