Verkhovna Rada denounces all treaties with Russia concerning Sea of Azov
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has denounced all treaties with Russia concerning the Sea of Azov on Friday, 24 February.
Source: Yaroslav Zhelezniak, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament, on Telegram, documents 0182 and 0183 on the Verkhovna Rada website
Details: Zhelezniak specified that these are the treaties between Ukraine and Russia about cooperation in using the Azov Sea and the Kerch strait and about creating the Black Sea naval cooperation group that have been terminated.
The first treaty was signed in 2003, and 303 MPs supported its termination (with 226 necessary to pass the decision). The second agreement was signed the same year; 305 members of the Parliament voted for its termination.
Explanatory notes list the following denunciation reasons:
- Russia de facto turns the Azov Sea, which has the territorial sea and exclusive economic zone of Ukraine, into its own "inland sea", and usurps the rights and jurisdiction of Ukraine as a coastal state in its sea areas in the Black Sea, the Azov Sea and in the Kerch strait;
- damages and/or sinks commercial vessels that sail under the flags of different states, and shells the sea ports infrastructure of Ukraine;
- besieges the Kakhovka vessel gateway on the Dnipro river, which is a strategically important facility for the Ukrainian maritime industry, grain and food transportation;
- besieges coastal drilling platforms in the Black Sea belonging to Ukraine and conducts illegal mining on the Ukrainian Black Sea and Azov Sea shelves.
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