The Legal Status of the Caspian Sea: Current Challenges and Prospects for Future Development

This book analyzes the legal and economic situation concerning the removal and allocation of natural resources in the Caspian Sea - the largest enclosed body of salt water in the world, which not only constitutes a fragile ecosystem with tremendous fishery resources, but is also rich in oil and gas deposits. After more than 20 years of negotiations, the five littoral states signed the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea in August 2018.

This book investigates whether this long-awaited agreement may pave a way forward for the sustainable and peaceful development of the Caspian region. The newly introduced regulations on the delimitation of the boundaries, on the Caspian Sea’s natural resources (especially its fossil fuels) and on the transport of goods by shipping and submarine pipelines, are of utmost importance for the successful participation of the Caspian states in global markets. In addition to a detailed analysis of the Convention, the book offers an up-to-date and comprehensive overview of the historical background and current status of issues that are of critical importance for the region’s development and security.

Since 2011 the author is building up and supervising the regional MA Program on Integrated Water Management in Central Asia at the German-Kazakh University in Almaty on behalf of DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service). Since 2016 the author is the UNESCO Chair-holder for water management in Central Asia. Her teaching and research fields cover legal framework and institutional interstate cooperation including on water and energy nexus. As Vice Rector on International Cooperation and Public Relations at Kazakh-German University the author continues to enhance positive water diplomacy in the region. She is also the editor-in-chief, of the Journal of the Central Asian Journal of Water Research (CAJWR), which is an open-access, peer-reviewed e-Journal dedicated to all aspects of water management in the region of Central Asia. Also, the author has a membership at the Technical Committee of the Global Water Partnership (GWP) and at International Law Association within the Committee ＂Role of International Law in Sustainable Natural Resource Management for Development＂.