AZERBAIJAN REJECTS TURKMEN CLAIM TO ITS OIL FIELDS.

In a note to Turkmenistan yesterday, Azerbaijan defended its exclusive sovereign title to the "deal of the century" offshore oil fields, Azeri and Chirag, both of which were claimed by Turkmenistan last week. (See Monitor, January 27) Reaffirming the Western-supported principle of dividing the Caspian Sea into national sectors, Azerbaijan’s note also proposed forming a bilateral commission to demarcate the respective sectors and to prospect jointly oil deposits that straddle them. (Turan, Interfax, January 27)

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