Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan debate Caspian legal status

Baku and Ashgabat are continuing consultations concerning their legal entitlements to parts of the Caspian Sea. The next round of bilateral negotiations between the Deputy Foreign Ministers of those two countries will be held on September 8-9 in Ashgabat.

Baku and Ashgabat have identified their points of agreement on this issue. The major difference between the sides is the status of the Kiapiaz oil field, which Turkmenistan considers its property and calls Sardar.

Five countries claim they have borders in the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan, Russia and Kazakhstan don’t have any claims against each other over this, and they have signed bilateral and trilateral agreements to this effect. Only Turkmenistan and Iran have sea zone claims which have not yet been satisfied. This is why no one has attempted to clarify where the borders in the Caspian Sea are until recently.