MOSCOW, December 24. The United States announced the expansion of its own part of the continental shelf in the Arctic, Bloomberg quotes a State Department statement.
«The continental shelf is an extension of the country's land territory under water. The United States has the right, in accordance with international law, to protect and manage resources and vital habitats,» the department says.
The so-called extended continental shelf covers an area primarily in the Arctic and Bering Sea, an area of growing strategic importance also claimed by Canada and Russia. According to the publication, Washington wants, by expanding the shelf, to gain access to minerals for the production of electric vehicle batteries. In addition, there are oil and gas fields there.
As President Vladimir Putin emphasized, the development of the Arctic region is one of Russia’s main priorities. It is there that large investment projects are being actively implemented, such as the Center for the Construction of Large-Capacity Offshore Structures of the Novatek Company, the head of state noted.
As for strengthening NATO's military potential in the Arctic, according to Ambassador-at-Large of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nikolai Korchunov, Russia will respond to this with a set of measures, including preventive ones.