October 15, 2007 (RFE/RL) -- Tehran is set to host a Caspian Sea summit at which the leaders of Iran, Azerbaijan, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan will try to hammer out a legal framework for use of the sea and its resources, including significant energy deposits.
There was a flurry of diplomacy ahead of the October 16 meeting after unsourced reports claimed a plot had been uncovered to assassinate Russian President Vladimir Putin after his arrival in Tehran. That commotion, and Iran's official reaction to the reports, highlighted the potentially momentous nature of the summit.
The five states that border the Caspian are still seeking a framework to replace the 1921 treaty dividing the sea between Iran and the Soviet Union, and two subsequent agreements on fishing and trade.
This week's summit will be just the second conference to bring together those littoral countries' heads of state -- the first one took place five years ago in Turkmenistan.
Iranian government spokesman Gholamhossein Elham told reporters on October 14 that the leaders are expected to sign a joint declaration at the end of the summit.
Comments by Iranian politicians and commentators indicate concerns that Tehran might find it difficult -- at this and future conferences -- to hang on to what it regards as its fair share of the Caspian. Most estimates of what represents a "fair share" vary anywhere between one-fifth and one-half of the sea. More on the story.
2 comments:
Well this is something the US wont have to worry about because they weren't invited. Oh well looks like the Middle East doesn't like the Clown President of the USA.
So far at the summit they are all in agreement that the Caspian Sea would not be used by the US to invade Iran should that come to it.
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