The leaders of five Caspian Sea states said on Tuesday they were near agreement on a final accord for sharing the wealth of the hyrdrocarbon and fish-rich inland sea but admitted differences remained.
In a declaration after their summit in Tehran, the presidents of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan called for a final agreement onn the legal status of the sea. "The Caspian Sea should unite us rather than divide us," said Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The five countries have long harboured differences over how to share the wealth from the sea, which is rich in fish such as the valuable caviar-producing sturgeon, gas and especially oil.
Iran and Turkmenistan want the Caspian divided into five equal zones as they consider the water to be a lake while the other countries think the length of coastline should determine the share as they think it is a sea.
The two countries have expressed frustration that the other littoral states have started to exploit oil and gas before any agreement has been reached over its status.
"For Turkmenistan, the practice of unilateral actions for oil wealth without the agreement of all the parties is unacceptable," said Turkmen President Gourbangouly Berdymoukhamedov. But Putin countered: "We should not wait for the final agreement on the status of the Caspian to conclude an agreement on the sharing the exploitation of its wealth."
The Russian President hailed the talks as a "success" and said all the parties had agreed to continue the negotiations in search of a final accord on sharing the sea's natural riches. "Of course there might be disagreements but we are taking the steps towards a comprehensive agreement on the Caspian Sea," he added.
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