A meeting of the foreign ministers of the Caspian states, begining on Tuesday, 6 April, consider major problems of the Caspian Sea. The resolution of these issues goes beyond the competence of the working group on the Caspian, AzerTaj reports.

Viktor Kalyuzhny, deputy foreign minister of Russia and special presidential representative for the Caspian Sea quotes among such problems, in particular, issues of demilitarisation, free shipping, borders in the Caspian water area and free passage via Russia's internal waters.

Underway the exchange of opinions on a wide range of problems with a special emphasis on issues of co-operation between the Caspian littoral states.

Following the agreement between the five presidents reached at the first Caspian summit in Ashkabat in April 2002 to make their meetings regular, the ministers were review issues of preparations for the second Caspian summit. Iran suggests to carry out the new Caspian summit in Teheran.

The Moscow meeting participants are also were analyse the course of negotiations on the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea and preparation of agreements on co-operation in various types of activities on the Caspian (subsurface use, environmental protection, fishing, hydrometeorology, free shipping and others). Interaction between the Caspian states in fighting terrorism, other new challenges and threats is also on the agenda.

Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan share a compromise approach to the definition of the legal status of the Caspian Sea. These states believe some of the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea may be attributed to the Caspian although with regard to the sea's status. Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan make it a point that they do not demand that the Caspian be treated either as a sea or a lake.

According to these countries, the Caspian's bottom and resources should be divided into economic zones between the littoral states, which will have exclusive rights to prospect and develop natural resources there. Determining territorial waters and fishing zones to fall under national jurisdictions, while the rest of the Caspian should be open to free navigation and fishing, is suggested.

Turkmenistan and Iran stick to different positions on that. Therefore the head of Kazakhstani MFA says that "the work is going to be rather difficult, but, nevertheless, it is necessary to hold the negotiations."

Earlier it was reported that Khalaf Khalafov, deputy foreign minister of Azerbaijan have participate in the meeting of foreign ministers of Caspian states.