Russia Expected to Present Claim for Arctic Shelf Expansion to UN

Russia will present its claim to extend its rights in the Arctic continental shelf to the United Nations on February 9, Russian Resource and Ecology Minister Sergei Donskoi said Friday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – In August, Russia initiated a request to the UN on extending the borders of its continental shelf in the Arctic after showing that the Lomonosov Ridge and other geological regions was an extension of its maritime borders.

“The presentation is planned for February 9, I’ll be going to New York to present the application with my colleagues,” Donskoi told journalists.

Russia has previously made a claim to the shelf, which is rich with hydrocarbons, including the Lomonosov and Mendeleev ridges, but its first application was rejected in 2002 due to a lack of geological evidence.

In December 2014, Russia unveiled a revised military doctrine that prioritizes the protection of national interests in the Arctic. Russia has increased its presence in its Far North, a large area believed to hold huge oil and natural gas deposits, establishing a new Arctic command and expanding its icebreaker fleet.

According to a special report by the Emergencies Ministry, the total value of the minerals concentrated in Russia's Arctic region exceeds $30 trillion. The ministry experts predict that Russian oil and gas production will be mainly concentrated in the Arctic sea shelves in the future.