Huge Part of Far Eastern Sea Tentatively Declared Russian Shelf

MOSCOW, November 15 (RIA Novosti) – A United Nations subcommittee has tentatively declared that 52,000 square kilometers of the Sea of Okhotsk, off Russia’s southeastern coast, is part of the country’s continental shelf, the Russian government announced Friday.

If the declaration is approved, Russia will get exclusive rights to the area, “presenting enormous opportunities for the Russian economy,” the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry said in a statement, comparing the area to a “real Ali Baba’s cave.”

The area, which the ministry said has “plentiful precious minerals and natural resources,” is currently considered international waters.

The subcommittee is expected to submit the declaration for final approval by the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf at a meeting in February-March next year.

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