Russian Foreign Ministry: International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea has no jurisdiction in the Kerch Strait
The Ukrainian authorities are using the incident in the Kerch Strait for domestic purposes, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
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| Kerch Strait. Photo: Sputnik |
Earlier, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that he had instructed the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry to appeal to the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea with a request to take compulsory measures against Moscow to release sailors detained for illegally blocking the Russian border.
The Russian Foreign Ministry called the decision of the Ukrainian authorities unfair. The ministry noted that Ukraine went to the International Court of Justice, although there was a possibility of holding consultations. Russian diplomats reiterated that Moscow remains open to bilateral dialogue on issues related to the incident in the Kerch Strait.
At the same time, the Foreign Ministry stressed that international judicial proceedings should not prevent criminal investigations in Russia.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also noted that Moscow believes that the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea does not have jurisdiction to consider the incident in the Kerch Strait.
