The Russian Foreign Ministry commented on the decision of the court in The Hague in the case of Kiev’s claims against Moscow on the basis of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
“This stage was limited to consideration of preliminary objections put forward by Russia regarding the arbitration jurisdiction to consider Ukrainian claims on the merits”, – the Russian department said.
As indicated in the Foreign Ministry, Moscow is satisfied that the decision takes into account the key argument of Russia – “this claim is actually an attempt to prove the non-existent sovereignty of Ukraine over the Crimea”.
“Obviously, for this arbitration to consider Ukrainian claims, it would first have to establish which state is coastal in relation to Crimea. However, the maritime tribunal, formed to resolve issues of “interpretation or application” of the 1982 Convention, is not entitled to determine the nationality of land. It is fundamentally important that in this the referees supported us, and unanimously”, – they noted there.
The Russian side will carefully analyze the findings of the tribunal on other objections and take them into account during the preparation of the response memorandum on the merits of the dispute. It must be submitted to arbitration before August 20, 2021.
“The Russian Federation expects that at the next stage of the consideration of this case, the arbitral tribunal will fully take into account the Russian position and ultimately leave all Ukrainian claims unsatisfied”, – the ministry said.
Earlier, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry reported that the Hague court confirmed its jurisdiction on the issue of Ukrainian claims against the Russian side.
As emphasized, the court will not consider the issue of sovereignty over Crimea.