Russia's Inspection Of Ships In Sea Of Azov Conforms With International Law - Moscow

Russia's inspection of vessels in the Sea of Azov does not contradict international law and is meant to ensure security in the area, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Thursday.

ST PETERSBURG (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th September, 2018) Russia's inspection of vessels in the Sea of Azov does not contradict international law and is meant to ensure security in the area, the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said on Thursday.

The Ukrainian side accused Russia in July of detaining dozens of ships heading to Ukraine via the Kerch Strait, which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, for inspection without specifying the reasons.

"Russia's actions on vessels' inspection are aimed exclusively at ensuring security in the area of the Azov Sea and Kerch Strait. They do not contradict any provisions of international law applicable to this area. Russia's right to carry out such actions has been unambiguously confirmed by the practice of other states that exercise their sovereign rights regarding their inland waters," Zakharova told reporters at a media briefing.

She also said that the legal status of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait was determined by the 2003 agreements between Russia and Ukraine on the Russian-Ukrainian border and on the cooperation in the use of the sea and the strait.

"These documents confirm that 'the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait have historically been inland waters of the Russian Federation and Ukraine,'" the spokeswoman added.

Mikhail Sheremet, a Russian lawmaker representing Crimea, said on Saturday that Russia had to enhance security measures in the Sea of Azov in response to "terrorist and pirate threats" from Ukraine, following the detention of the Crimea-registered vessel Nord by the Ukrainian Border Guard Service in the neutral waters of the Sea of Azov in March.