10.03.2015–16.03.2015• No: 11
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES OF THE CASPIAN SEA The Caspian Sea is the largest en- the Caspian Sea was signed. In a frame- their opposition is due to environmental dorheic body of water with a unique en- work of this agreement, a moratorium concerns. vironmental system and abundant natu- banning commercial fishing of the Cas- According to the Iranian Caspian Sea ral resources. Therefore, issues arising pian sturgeon has finally entered into Doctrine, the environment of the Cas- in the area are crucial to the countries force. An initial idea of the moratorium pian Sea is one of the major issues and sharing its waters (Russia, Iran, Azerbai- has been suggested during the Third it should be protected from any sources jan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan). Caspian Summit in Baku in 2010. How- of pollution, especially production and Concern over the environmental health ever, an agreement to prohibit sturgeon transportation of oil and gas. Iran be- of the Caspian Sea has caused the five catching was reached subsequently dur- lieves that transportation of petroleum Caspian littoral states to adopt (2003) ing the 34th meeting of the Commission products via pipelines on the seabed is a and ratify (August, 2006) the Framework on Aquatic Bio resources of the Caspian major threat to the environment of the Convention for the Protection of the Ma- Sea in Astrakhan in December, 2013. Caspian Sea and it should be avoided. rine Environment of the Caspian Sea, Despite the progress, environmental is- One of the arguments presented is that known as the Tehran Convention, an sues are far from being solved due to the waters of the Caspian Sea are highly agreement that aims the environmental both objective and subjective reasons. corrosive and might cause an irreversi- protection of the Caspian Sea and its re- Thus far, the countries are not ready to ble environmental catastrophe. Iran sug- gions. Nonetheless, the Convention has make final decisions regarding the eco- gested that oil and gas pipelines should more of an informative nature, leading logical problems, especially when the run through the onshore territory of Iran the Caspian countries to address new proposed solutions counter their national instead, making the construction of the guidelines that possessed certain juris- interests. Clear example of the de- pipeline easier and more economically dictional regulations. scribed situation is a delay in signing the sound. Allegedly environmental concern In the last couple years the littoral states Protocol on Environmental Impact As- is a way of veiling Iran’s being excluded have entered to an active phase of the sessment in a Trans-Boundary Context. from projects concerning the gas exports negotiation process regarding the envi- In a framework of the Protocol, the coun- to the European Union due to strained ronment of the Caspian Sea. As a result tries would be able to resolve an issue of relations with the West. of the environmental dialogue, the fol- the Trans-Caspian Gas Pipeline (TCP) Similarly, Russia argues that the Cas- lowing documents were signed: the Pro- construction without reaching an agree- pian Sea is a closed system and any pol- tocol concerning Regional Prepared- ment about the legal status of the Cas- lution due to TCP will remain in the wa- ness, Response and Co-operation in pian Sea. ters without being able to find an outlet Combating Oil Pollution Incidents (Ak- While Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan sup- (which is likely to happen due to high tau, 2011), the Protocol on the Protection port the idea of a construction of the seismic activity of the region). Russia of the Caspian Sea against Pollution TCP, Russia and Iran are strongly op- and Iran want to stay key figures in the from Land based Sources and Activities posed to the idea. On the one hand, oil and gas export of the Caspian gas by (Moscow, 2012) and the Protocol on the Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan believe controlling the distribution of the natural Conservation of Biological Diversity that it is their sovereign right to imple- resources. Ultimately, environmental is- (Ashgabat, 2014). ment the construction of the pipeline. On sues of unsustainable exploitation of the Moreover, during the Fourth Caspian the other hand, Russia and Iran are Caspian resources cannot be separated Summit in Astrakhan in 2014 an Agree- harshly opposed to the construction of from the geopolitical and economical dis- ment on the Conservation and rational the TCP without consensus of all five lit- pute over the territory of the Caspian use of water and biological resources of toral states. Russia and Iran insist that Sea. The Finance Ministry of Tajikistan an- Politics, Foreign Affairs and Security Economy, Finance and Energy nounced that Tajik and Swiss officials