Restrictions on Russia"s access to the development...

"Unfortunately, attempts are being made [by other nations near the Arctic] to limit Russia"s access to the development and mining of Arctic deposits, which is, of course, unacceptable from a legal point of view, as well as unfair considering our country"s geographical position and history," he said.

He stressed that "polar countries are taking active steps to expand their economic and even military presence in the Arctic zone."

Arctic territories have been at the center of geopolitical wrangling between the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway, and Denmark as rising temperatures lead to a reduction in sea ice and make hydrocarbon deposits under the Arctic Ocean increasingly accessible.

Under international law, each of the five Arctic Circle countries has a 322-kilometer (200-mile) exclusive economic zone in the Arctic Ocean.

However, under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, if a country can show its continental shelf extends beyond the

Pages: [1] 2