Go to mediabankView of the building of the International Court of Justice in The Hague. File photoMOSCOW, Sep 29Russia, in connection with the accidents on the Nord Stream gas pipelines, can apply to the International Court of Justice or the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea to protect its interests, said Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev. «Since the incident occurred at sea, in accordance with the UN Convention on Law of the Sea of 1982, in order to protect its legitimate interests, Russia can resort to various procedures (Article 287), up to applying to the International Court of Justice or the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea,» the politician wrote in his Telegram channel.
In July, NATO conducted exercises in the emergency zone at Nord Stream, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea proceeds from the fact that the coastal state is obliged to take measures to protect cables and pipelines. «According to the available information, two holes appeared in the exclusive economic zone of Sweden, two more — in the exclusive economic zone of Denmark. Thus, the place of the delict (offense — ed.) is the waters of Sweden and Denmark,» he stressed. According to the senator, for the purposes of the Convention, «these states are coastal, therefore, the respective sections of the pipelines are the responsibility of Sweden and Denmark, which were obliged to ensure the protection of these pipeline sections.» In addition, the politician clarified that the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, which applies to all international pipelines, imposes a duty of mutual information and consultation on the parties.The exit of gas from Nord Stream will be completed on Monday According to him, three conclusions follow from the above conventions. In particular, Sweden and Denmark must provide the world community with all the information they have regarding the incident. Also, all interested states are obliged to cooperate, consult and exchange information, including with Russia, he added. «Russia and Russian companies have suffered significant economic damage. The marine environment of the Baltic Sea has suffered environmental damage. All this raises questions of international responsibility and compensation for losses caused by the guilty party,» the legislator emphasized. On Monday, incidents occurred simultaneously on two Russian export gas pipelines to Europe. According to information from the Danish and Swedish authorities, two gas leaks were discovered at Nord Stream and one at Nord Stream 2 near Bornholm Island. Germany, Denmark and Sweden do not rule out targeted sabotage.
