Caspian convention won’t hinder US cargo transit to Afghanistan – Moscow

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 sea, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Ambassador-at-large Igor Bratchikov said on Tuesday. The convention “bans foreign military presence in the Caspian Sea area and I think the existing restrictions are clarified,” he told TASS on Tuesday. “Both Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan have been ensuring that no third countries have troops deployed in Caspian Sea waters,” the diplomat added. The main route for delivering resources to US troops in Afghanistan passes through Pakistan. However, the US has been working to develop an alternative route. It 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.