Mr. Kalyuzhny, who is Russia’s Caspian envoy, believes that the time has not yet come for disarmament. “Some of our partners speak about the demilitarization of the Caspian region. It is difficult to understand their position. Demilitarization means disarmament, but how are we going to fight terrorists in this case? They are not going to disarm," he said.

Russia and other Caspian countries should have forces capable of effectively addressing this global threat, Mr. Kalyuzhny said. He noted that demilitarization contradicted border demarcation proposals made by some countries. “Frontiers will have to be defended,” he added.

According to Mr. Kalyuzhny, it is necessary for the Caspian states to agree that there should be no troops of other countries in the Caspian region. Russia sees it as a key guarantee of national security.

As for the legal status of the Caspian Sea, which is being discussed now, it should combine new realities with the principles of the old Soviet-Iranian treaties of 1921 and 1940, in Mr. Kalyuzhny’s view. Another source of the “Caspian law” is provided by many years of commercial activities in the area, usually referred to as “the established practice”.

Speaking about the results of the Caspian summit on April 6 in Moscow, Mr. Kalyuzhny said that on the one hand, “there is significant progress in agreement to the Convention on the legal status”, but on the other hand, “disagreements remain on a number of its key issues.”