TEHRAN -- The Caspian Sea littoral states have agreed on 70 to 75 percent of the content of a convention on the legal status of the sea, according to the Iranian deputy foreign minister for European affairs.

Mahdi Safari made the remarks in an interview with reporters on November 8 in which he discussed his trip to Ashgabat for the 26th meeting of the special committee tasked with drawing up the legal regime of the sea, which was held in the Turkmen capital from November 4 to 5.
Safari described the talks as fruitful, saying the littoral states are making serious efforts to boost regional cooperation.
He went on to say that some ‘complicated and sensitive’ issues remain to be discussed, and thus the process of reaching agreements on these issues will probably take more time.
However, Iran will never sacrifice its national interests to accelerate the process, he added.
Safari also said he and Turkmen Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov held a meeting during his Ashgabat trip in which they agreed that Tehran-Ashgabat talks on issues pertaining to the Caspian Sea should continue