The purpose of the convention is to define
and regulate the rights and obligations of
the parties in relation to the Caspian Sea, including its waters, bottom, subsoil, natural resources and airspace. The Convention establishes
various regimes for the marine area, territorial
waters, fishing zones, bottom and subsoil of the
Caspian Sea. The parties agreed on the delimitation of national zones and sovereignty, the
implementation of subsoil use rights, transit and
transportation, the laying of underwater pipelines and cables, the protection of the natural environment and biological resources, security and
cooperation in the Caspian region. The convention also prohibits the presence in the Caspian of
armed forces not belonging to the parties to the
treaty, and makes the five Caspian littoral states
responsible for maintaining maritime security
and managing its resources.