Caspian geological peculiarities need to be taken into account

The uncoordinated use of Caspian mineral resources is fraught with irreparable ecological losses, Russian Deputy Minister of Fuel and Energy Valery Garipov said recently.
He urged the signing of a convention on the Caspian legal status by the 5 coastal states to settle all problems in the development of mineral resources, the use of biological resources and the division of the seabed and the waters.
The document is being co-ordinated but the sides have not arrived at a common stance. Russia has suggested interaction of all sides till the time the convention is signed.
The planned construction of deep-water oil pipelines from Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to Azerbaijan is especially alarming. The deputy minister said that such projects should take into account the Caspian geological peculiarities, the seismically active zones, the underwater geysers and the moving seabed on an area of about 11 km.
In order to prevent negative consequences of the contracts, Russia has given all Caspian countries a scientific report on the Caspian geo-dynamics which gives a detailed picture of the region's geological relief.