Russia has called on five Caspian littoral states to sign a merchant shipping agreement, Transport Minister Igor Levitin said on Thursday. “Russia considers it necessary to speed up the adoption of a five-party agreement on merchant shipping in the Caspian Sea,” he said at the first meeting of Caspian states’ transport ministers.
The document will regulate relations of littoral states taking into account national and international legal norms on merchant shipping on the basis of the international legal status of the Caspian Sea, he said.
Levitin also announced Russia’s proposal for cooperation of littoral states within the framework of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue.
“I believe that this proposal is important and very timely to develop maritime carriages in the region,” he said.
The parties have to progress in adopting measures of environmental and transport security in the Caspian Sea, he said.
Levitin called on all Caspian littoral states to consider an opportunity of creating an international system of shipping monitoring in the Caspian Sea. He stressed that “Russia is ready to provide its technical opportunities for this.”
Another important element of the system of the shipping monitoring should be the signing of a memorandum of understanding as concerns shipping control.
He also noted that “Russia takes efforts to further simplify the rules for the entry of ships flying the flags of the Caspian littoral states to Russia’s inland waters.”
The document will regulate relations of littoral states taking into account national and international legal norms on merchant shipping on the basis of the international legal status of the Caspian Sea, he said.
Levitin also announced Russia’s proposal for cooperation of littoral states within the framework of the International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue.
“I believe that this proposal is important and very timely to develop maritime carriages in the region,” he said.
The parties have to progress in adopting measures of environmental and transport security in the Caspian Sea, he said.
Levitin called on all Caspian littoral states to consider an opportunity of creating an international system of shipping monitoring in the Caspian Sea. He stressed that “Russia is ready to provide its technical opportunities for this.”
Another important element of the system of the shipping monitoring should be the signing of a memorandum of understanding as concerns shipping control.
He also noted that “Russia takes efforts to further simplify the rules for the entry of ships flying the flags of the Caspian littoral states to Russia’s inland waters.”