U.S. plans for broadening continental shelf limits require in-depth analysis - Russian Foreign Ministry

MOSCOW. Feb 5 (Interfax) - The U.S. plans for a unilateral broadening of claims for continental shelf limits require a political and legal analysis, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador at Large Nikolai Korchunov said in an interview with Interfax.

"The U.S. Department of State's decision requires an in-depth political and legal analysis, above all in terms of applicable international laws, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea that is universal, and the role and significance of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf. This is an expert body advising littoral states on the establishment of continental shelf limits. The shelf limits based on such recommendations are final and mandatory for everyone," Korchunov said.

"The Russian Federation will react consistent with international law, including on international platforms, to a breach of its rights and interests by any country," he said.

"It would be premature to say that the U.S. steps might actually cause a conflict in the region, including between the United States and Canada," Korchunov said.

"We hope that both the United States and Canada will diligently meet the agreements, including those made under the 2008 Ilulissat Declaration, by which five Arctic states, among them the United States and Canada, pledged to settle disputes by diplomatic means," he said.