Ukraine’s claims to the Black Sea and Sea of Azov adjoining Crimea, as well as to the Kerch Strait are unfounded, the Hague court actually confirmed this, said the head of the working group on international legal issues at the Permanent Mission of Crimea to the President of the Russian Federation, Alexander Molokhov.
On Friday, the Hague Arbitration Tribunal confirmed its jurisdiction in the case of Kiev’s claims against Moscow, rejecting the Russian position that the arbitration does not have jurisdiction in this case. However, the tribunal will not consider Ukraine’s claims regarding its rights as a coastal state in waters near Crimea.
“The interim decision of the Hague Tribunal is cautious optimism. Indeed, the court has made it clear that it will not confuse God’s gift with scrambled eggs and consider the issue of whether the Crimean Peninsula belongs to Russia or Ukraine. This issue has long been resolved for Russia”, – Molokhov said.
At the same time, according to him, the arbitration in The Hague intends to essentially sort out the incident that occurred in November 2018 in the Kerch Strait, when three Ukrainian warships were detained for violating the Russian border.
“In this regard, the initiative of the Belgian nongovernmental association Tavrida on holding an International Public Tribunal this year, which will be fully capable of exposing the provocation of the Kiev authorities organized a year and a half ago, is of particular relevance”, – said Molokhov.