Environment and Security: Transforming risks into cooperation

Eastern Caspian

27

Environment and Security

In keeping with concerns mentioned above, in April 2005 the American Department of Defence announced a major restructuring of the US military presence overseas which foresees closing some military facilities in

Europe and East Asia and redeploying forces in other regions including South East Asia, Africa or the Caspian Region (Klare, 2006) 20 . Since the late 1990s the US has increased military cooperation with (training and arms

The unc rtain st tus of the Caspian Se

The uncertain status of the Caspian Sea

RUSSIA

RUSSIA

RUSSIA

RUSSIA

KAZAKHSTAN

KAZAKHSTAN

KAZAKHSTAN

KAZAKHSTAN

AZERBAIJAN

AZERBAIJAN

AZERBAIJAN

AZERBAIJAN

TURK.

TURK.

TURK.

TURK.

1 935 Astara - Gasa n -K u li line

1 935 Astara - Gasa n -K u li line

I R A N

I R A N

I R A N

I R A N

If the Caspian was lake...

If the Caspian was a lake...

If the Caspian was se ...

If the Caspian was a sea...

Soviet border

Soviet border

Claims of the riparian count ies

Claims of the riparian countries

Contiguous zone 24 Miles (4 km) Territorial waters 12 Mil (2 km)

Contiguous zone 24 Miles (44 km) Territorial waters 12 Miles (22 km)

Source: Vital Caspian Graphics 2005

Map produced by UNEP/GRID-Arendal, August 2008

of the Caspian Environmental Program are certainly positive examples of the ability of the Caspian states to operate in multilateral policy frameworks to develop alternative sources of regulation and decision-making. In the meeting held in Tehran on 16 Octo- ber 2007, the Presidents of the five Caspian states (MFA RF 2007) not only underlined the importance of developing legal documents regulating that status of the Caspian Sea but also highlighted their concerns over the

state of the environment in the Caspian as well as the importance of enhancing en- vironmental cooperation and coordination of national policies in order to improve the protection and use of biological resourc- es. At the same time, the combination of geopolitical and national interests with the profound changes occurring in the region is such that the model based on compe- tition will continue to influence events in the region.