'Making a pipeline is possible under the Article 14 of the agreement of all the littoral countries,' said Igor Baratchikov speaking to Russia's TVS.
Convention of the Caspian Sea that was signed on August 12 details the making of such pipelines; if pipelines are in accordance with the Sea's ecological conditions and international agreements, they can be made, Baratchikov said.
The Article 14 of the Convention of the Caspian Sea reads:
1. The Parties may lay submarine cables and pipelines on the bed of the Caspian Sea.
2. The Parties may lay trunk submarine pipelines on the bed of the Caspian Sea, on the condition
that their projects comply with environmental standards and requirements embodied in the
international agreements to which they are parties, including the Framework Convention for
the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea and its relevant protocols.
3. Submarine cables and pipelines routes shall be determined by agreement with the Party the
seabed sector of which is to be crossed by the cable or pipeline.
4. The geographical coordinates of areas along routes of submarine cables and pipelines where
anchoring, fishing with near-bottom gear, submarine and dredging operations, and navigation
with dredging anchor are not allowed, shall be communicated by the coastal State whose sector
they cross to all the Parties.
On August 12, 2018, presidents of five Caspian Sea littoral states signed the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea calling it a landmark instrument that is expected to expand good-neighborly relations among parties including Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Russia and Kazakhstan.
Around 90 percent of the Convention has been addressed by the member states.
Only two issues – determining the base lines and delimitation of the remaining seabed and underground resources – need further negotiations, said a statement by the Foreign Ministry one day after signing of the Convention.
It expressed hope that the two issues would also become finalized with the cooperation of all member-states.