Foreign Ministry points to Kiev's pressure on Russian participants in the Law of the Sea process
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- Foreign Ministry points to Kiev's pressure on Russian participants in the Law of the Sea process
Ukraine is putting pressure on Russian participants in the trial over rights in the Sea of Azov, the Black Sea and the Kerch Strait. The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry's legal department division, Konstantin Kosorukov, told reporters on 23 September.
In his opinion, one of the methods of external pressure is Kiev's use of blacklists, including such as the "Peacemaker" website.
"In our case, one of the witnesses in this process was subjected to such pressure. As a result, due to justified security concerns, he was unable to be physically present in The Hague and will testify remotely," TASS quoted him as saying.
Kosorukov also noted that in such cases Russia will demand security for witnesses and their removal from blacklists.
Earlier in the day, Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large and head of Russia's delegation to The Hague Gennady Kuznetsov said that Kiev's accusations against Russia over the Crimean bridge in international arbitration are not serious and go beyond the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. He also emphasized that the construction of the bridge was a necessity and a major infrastructure project, which was based on the research of experts and was implemented due to the blockade of Crimea by Ukraine.
Kiev initiated the dispute with Moscow in September 2016. Ukraine accuses Russia of allegedly violating the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea in the Black Sea and demands confirmation of its rights in the Black and Azov Seas, as well as in the Kerch Strait. The Ukrainian side considers Russia's use of natural resources in these water areas and the construction of the Crimean bridge illegal and accuses it of allegedly damaging the environment and international navigation. Russia denies these accusations and believes that the arbitration tribunal has no authority to consider the lawsuit.
