http://rt.com/news/okhotsk-sea-shelf-russia-038/
http://aceblognews.tumblr.com/post/7965 ... ow-russian
A UN maritime commission has confirmed that 52,000 square kilometers in the middle of the Sea of Okhotsk in the Far East is now Russian continental shelf, opening the way for massive oil and gas exploration. The enclave in the middle of the Okhotsk Sea has been recognized as part of Russia’s continental shelf in accordance with the UN Maritime Convention of 1982. So far the zone lay outside Russian jurisdiction because a part of the sea was not covered by the 200 nautical mile zone internationally recognized as area of exclusive economic interest. “This event has effectively taken place,” Russian Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Sergey Donskoy told journalists, stressing that the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf had made a “unanimous decision" which is "unconditional and has no retroactive effect.”
The minister said that from now on Russian laws are applied to all natural resources under the Okhotsk seabed. The new enclave that has been integrated into Russia is comparable to a territory of a European state like Switzerland, Netherlands or Slovakia. The original application for the Okhotsk shelf was filed to the UN in 2001. In November 2013, when the UN agreed with arguments presented by Russia that 52,000 square kilometers of the Sea of Okhotsk, which borders Japan, is part of the country’s continental shelf, the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry described the enclave as a “real Ali Baba’s cave” since it has “plentiful precious minerals and natural resources.”
So, NSG, thoughts?
I think it's a good thing, as long as a good chunk of the money is going to be used to develop the Russian Far East. The area needs development funds, and this could be the ideal provider. On the other hand, I'm a bit apprehensive about environmental concerns.
