MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Russia cautious about UK's off Antarctic seabed claims

Russia is decisively opposed to any splitting of Antarctica based on unilateral territorial claims, although was cautious about UK's seabed claims in that region, announced a release from the Russian Foreign Ministry.

"As one of the nations which had made the largest contributions to the development of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty and research on Antarctica, this country has consistently worked against the idea of dividing Antarctica on the basis of unilateral territorial claims and has not recognized them" said the official release circulated on Wednesday. In direct reference to London's plans to submit a proposal to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf the release stresses that "as far as we understand the British document may raise issues related to the status of the seabed adjacent to the coast of Antarctica. The Foreign Office comment stresses absolute adherence to the commitments made under the 1959 Antarctic Treaty," it says. So far it is premature to make any evaluation of the British move, the Russian Foreign Ministry says. "In any case interested parties will be able to do so after the relevant materials are received by the Commission" concludes the release. The UK recently announced it was considering claiming before the Continental Shelf Limits Commission up to a million square kilometers off Antarctic seabed, based on the fact UK has been in the area since at least 1908. The UK announcement was followed by statements from Chile and Argentina who also plan similar sea bed claims to the same off Antarctica area. But in spite of Moscow's position regarding the Antarctic, Russia recently launched a campaign to claim Arctic sea bed rights arguing the area is an extension of its continental platform and with this purpose in a much publicized event recently planted a titanium Russian flag in the bottom of the sea.