Russia says Caspian convention won’t hinder US cargo transit to Afghanistan

The Convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea will not hinder the transit of non-lethal goods to US troops in Afghanistan from Azerbaijan via the Caspian Sea, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-Large Igor Bratchikov told TASS on Tuesday.

"Have a look at the Convention. It bans foreign military presence in the Caspian Sea area and I think the existing restrictions are clarified," the diplomat said when asked whether the document would limit the transit of non-lethal goods to US troops deployed to Afghanistan.

"Both Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have been ensuring that no third countries have troops deployed in Caspian Sea waters," Bratchikov added.

The main route for delivering resources to US troops in Afghanistan passes through Pakistan. However, given the unstable political and military situation in the country and disagreements between Washington and Islamabad, the US has been working to develop an alternative route that would begin in Azerbaijan, pass through the Caspian Sea and Kazakhstan’s ports of Aktau and Kuryk, and will then involve rail transport to reach Afghanistan via Uzbekistan. This is a modified version of the Northern Distribution Network.