A working group of the five Caspian countries in their two-day meeting in Moscow discussed the draft convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, added Safari.

The group has made a headway towards establishing the legal status of the Caspian Sea, he said, adding that the representatives of other littoral states raised their viewpoints clearly on various Caspian Sea related issues.

The group includes representatives of the littoral states of Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.

The next special meeting of the group is scheduled to be held in Ashkhabad, the capital city of Turkmenistan. The date of the meeting has yet to be set through diplomatic channels.

The group discussed such issues as military activities in the sea, sharing of its natural resources and fishing, said Russian representative to the group Igor Yusufov after the meeting.

He also underlined the importance of the special working group meeting on the threshold of the summit of the heads of state which is to be held in Tehran.

At the end of the meeting, the participants released a statement, in which they elaborated on their respective countries' stances on the key issues concerning the legal status of the Caspian Sea.

... Payvand News - 10/28/04 ... --