Free access to and from the ocean in the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea: the law of the sea and the Caspian "body of water"
Pecoraro, A. (2021). Free access to and from the ocean in the convention on the legal status of the Caspian Sea: the law of the sea and the Caspian "body of water". Asian J. Int. Law 11(2): 281-298. https://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S2044251321000199 In: Asian Journal of International Law. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge. ISSN 2044-2513; e-ISSN 2044-2521, more |  |
| Keyword | | | Author keywords | Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea; landlocked states; UNCLOS |
| Abstract | Access to and from the sea for landlocked states has been a long-standing issue in the law of the sea. Such issue is also addressed by the Convention on the Legal Status of the Caspian Sea (or Aktau Convention), which foresees a right of free access to other seas for landlocked State Parties—Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan—through the Russian Federation. At the same time, it upholds the transit state's sovereignty and right to protect its legitimate interests. Consequently, it is important to assess the limits of the transit state's discretion pursuant to the Aktau Convention. In this regard, that instrument has important linkages with UNCLOS and with general international law. These linkages introduce in the Aktau Convention various norms—such as due regard and reasonableness—that play an important role in its interpretation. |
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