Russian Official: Strong Tehran-Moscow Relations Protect Caspian Sea Security
December 16, 2000 - 0:0
TEHRAN The expansion of relations between Russia and Iran would help protect Caspian Sea security, said the representative of Russian President Vladimir Putin for the Caspian Sea Viktor Kalyuzhny.
Speaking in a meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Ahani in Moscow Thursday, Kalyuzhny stressed that Russia considers Iran as the leading side in negotiations for the legal regime of the Caspian Sea.
"Russia remains committed to the 1921 and 1940-treaties with Iran which say the Caspian Sea is jointly shared by Iran and the republics of the former Soviet Union," he said.
He added that any decision on the legal status of the Caspian Sea would have to be upheld by all of the five littoral states of the Caspian Sea.
Meanwhile, the Interfax news agency said Kalyuzhny, held "amicable and constructive" talks with Ahani Thursday.
Talks between the two men focused on next year's five-nation caspian meeting of deputy foreign ministers from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan to be held in Tehran.
"Today, we set a deadline for the summit," Kalyuzhny told the news agency, adding that the meeting would take place at the end of January or early February.
He also said that Tehran had supported Moscow's proposal to tie regulation of the Caspian Sea to shipping and the support of bio-resources.
The planned summit could play "a major role in concluding efforts to define the (legal) status of the Caspian Sea," Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said earlier.
Iran would agree with an equitable sharing of the oil-rich Caspian which would put its share at 20 percent.
The Caspian is estimated to contain the world's third largest reserves of oil and gas after the Persian Gulf and Siberia, which has prompted a bitter rivalry among the coastal nations since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Ahani also met with the head of Russian parliamentary Defense Committee, Andrei Nikolayev Thursday.
Nikolayev said that Iran-Russia cooperation would pose no threat to other states.
Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev is planning to travel to Tehran in late December or early January to discuss military cooperation projects.
Moscow said last month that it was scrapping a five-year-old agreement with Washington that banned conventional arms sales to Iran, a decision that prompted a White House warning that trade ties could suffer as a result.
Speaking in a meeting with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Ahani in Moscow Thursday, Kalyuzhny stressed that Russia considers Iran as the leading side in negotiations for the legal regime of the Caspian Sea.
"Russia remains committed to the 1921 and 1940-treaties with Iran which say the Caspian Sea is jointly shared by Iran and the republics of the former Soviet Union," he said.
He added that any decision on the legal status of the Caspian Sea would have to be upheld by all of the five littoral states of the Caspian Sea.
Meanwhile, the Interfax news agency said Kalyuzhny, held "amicable and constructive" talks with Ahani Thursday.
Talks between the two men focused on next year's five-nation caspian meeting of deputy foreign ministers from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan to be held in Tehran.
"Today, we set a deadline for the summit," Kalyuzhny told the news agency, adding that the meeting would take place at the end of January or early February.
He also said that Tehran had supported Moscow's proposal to tie regulation of the Caspian Sea to shipping and the support of bio-resources.
The planned summit could play "a major role in concluding efforts to define the (legal) status of the Caspian Sea," Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said earlier.
Iran would agree with an equitable sharing of the oil-rich Caspian which would put its share at 20 percent.
The Caspian is estimated to contain the world's third largest reserves of oil and gas after the Persian Gulf and Siberia, which has prompted a bitter rivalry among the coastal nations since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Ahani also met with the head of Russian parliamentary Defense Committee, Andrei Nikolayev Thursday.
Nikolayev said that Iran-Russia cooperation would pose no threat to other states.
Russian Defense Minister Igor Sergeyev is planning to travel to Tehran in late December or early January to discuss military cooperation projects.
Moscow said last month that it was scrapping a five-year-old agreement with Washington that banned conventional arms sales to Iran, a decision that prompted a White House warning that trade ties could suffer as a result.