This move will help Russia confirm its right to a considerable part of the Arctic shelf, the minister said at a meeting held by president Vladimir Putin with government members.
"We have obtained data [as a result of Russia’s explorations] that allow us to say with confidence that a considerable part of the Arctic Ocean bed is the natural continuation of the Russian part of the Eurasian continent and must be included in the Russian continental shelf," the minister said.
As the next stage, Russia’s application will be considered by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, he added.
"At this stage, apparently additional explorations will be required, as well as negotiations and diplomatic work with our neighbors such as Denmark and Canada, which are also submitting their applications," Donskoi said.
The Russian natural resources minister said he expected the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf would make a weighed decision. Last year, this commission passed a positive decision on a Russian application for the median part of the Sea of Okhotsk, the minister said.
Putin asked about whether the application would be considered in November.
"Last night, the UN Secretariat said it was so far considering examining this application at its next session in the spring of 2016. We’ll try to develop various options of our actions," the minister said.
The area of the Arctic Ocean bed, for which Russia has applied, is about 1 million square kilometers. This Arctic shelf contains natural resources in the amount of about 5 billion tons of fuel equivalent, the minister said.
Russia measured the seabed, carried out mapping and seismic studies as it prepared the application, he added.
[TASS]
5/8/15
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Related:
Russia submits Arctic claim to UN in move to seize oil and gas rights...
ReplyDeleteRussia's Foreign Ministry confirmed Tuesday that it had submitted a bid for vast Arctic territories that could contain large quantities of oil and gas to the United Nations.
The ministry said in a statement that Moscow was claiming over 463,000 square miles of Artic sea shelf extending more than 350 nautical miles from the shore.
The Arctic is believed to hold up to 25 percent of the planet's untapped oil and gas supplies, and Russia, the U.S., Canada, Denmark and Norway have all been trying to assert jurisdiction over parts of the territory. The competition has intensified in recent years as shrinking polar ice is opening new opportunities for exploration.
Russia was the first to submit its claim in 2002, but the U.N. sent it back for lack of evidence. It submitted a partial revision regarding the Okhotsk Sea in 2013 and the commission issued a recommendation the following year, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.
The ministry said that the resubmitted bid contains new arguments. "Ample scientific data collected in years of Arctic research are used to back the Russian claim," it said.
Greenpeace responded by warning of the environmental risks................http://www.foxnews.com/world/2015/08/05/russia-submits-claim-for-vast-arctic-seabed-territories-at-united-nations/