Klimkin: Ukraine is ready to terminate the Sea of Azov agreement with Russia Friday, February 22, 2019 1:00:00 PM

Foreign Minister, Pavlo Klimkin, announced that in the foreseeable future, Ukraine is preparing to terminate the agreement with Russia on the Sea of Azov.

"In the foreseeable future, we will do it. After the hearings, our legal position will be determined, and the international arbitration issues will be resolved," he said. At the same time, he added that if Kyiv had terminated the agreement earlier, “Russia would have used it to weaken the legal position” of the Ukrainian side.

The representative of the Russian Federal Agency for Fishery, Angela Kizilova, stated that according to the Russian Federation, in the event of the Sea of Azov agreement termination (the Treaty for Cooperation in Utilizing the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait between Ukraine and the Russian Federation which was signed on December 24, 2003) Ukraine will be the first to suffer.

According to her, the lack of regulation in the Sea of Azov can lead to irreparable damage and harm aquatic bioresources.

“What would be exact damage to Ukraine or us I am unable to say for sure. There is a scientific institute for this, which is better informed regarding fishing areas where fish spawn better. A lot depends on where it spawns and whether it will be allowed to grow to commercial size. However, judging by the fishing sites, the Ukrainian side will be worse off than ours, "said Kizilova.

The adviser to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Taras Kachka, wrote an article in ZN.UA stating that no matter how much Russian officials repeat their mantra about the “inland sea”, this statement will not cover the harsh truth that Russia violates international maritime law. The “inland sea” is the status according to which allegedly the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait are cut off from international maritime law along the line from Cape Kyz-Aul in Crimea to the Cape Iron Horn on the Taman Peninsula. This cannot cease to provoke a reaction from the international community.

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