IRNA - Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif emphasized that the Caspian Sea Legal Convention will not be finalized without parliamentary approval.

After attending the parliament on Monday afternoon, Zarif emphasized that in the Convention on the Legal Regime of the Caspian Sea has been stated that the legislative process should be pursued for the final approval.

Responding to a question on Iran's share in the Caspian Sea legal regime, the Iranian foreign minister pointed to Iran's red-line of territorial integrity, and underscored that the only country that a bit of its land has not even been negotiated and has not been lost is the Islamic Republic of Iran.

He went on to say that if "we take a glance at history, Iran's territory had been given away by the rulers throughout history, but an iota of Iran's land had not been lost during the Iraqi imposed war".

The head of the diplomacy apparatus said that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Iran made every effort to protect Iran's interests in the Caspian Sea, and noted that he held the first meeting of the deputies of foreign ministers of the Caspian Sea Littoral States.

He noted that protocols on environment and fishing had been concluded, and they adopted the comprehensive legal Convention of the Caspian Sea, which was the main topic of negotiations over past 21 years.

The foreign minister said that the convention was signed in 2018.