Kazakhstan called on Friday, July 27, on its neighbors around the Caspian sea, Iran and Azerbaijan, to settle peacefully their heated dispute over the division of the Caspian Sea.
"Kazakhstan hopes that the sides involved in the incident will avoid unjustified actions and that they will settle the dispute in the manner of good neighborliness, by the way of constructive dialogue and civilized discussion," the Kazakh foreign ministry said in a statement.
Earlier in the week, Iranian warship aimed its guns at an Azeri oil research vessel, chartered by BP Amoco, which was operating in disputed waters.
This led to BP halting its operations in the disputed oil field until the matter is resolved. Kazakhstan called on the arguing sides to keep the Caspian Sea "a zone of peace, friendship and cooperation" as five Caspian states—Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan—had agreed to do during their previous meetings.
Since the break-up of the Soviet Union 10 years ago the five Caspian littoral states have been unable to agree on how to share out the sea's vast resources. — (AFP)
© Agence France Presse
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
