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Russia is examining Netherlands’ Greenpeace activists detention

Russia's Foreign Ministry official: Dutch partners have provided us with the documents, which we are studying at the moment
Photo ITAR-TASS/ Lev Fedoseev
Photo ITAR-TASS/ Lev Fedoseev

MOSCOW, October 10 (Itar-Tass) - The Russian authorities are currently examining the documents they received from the Netherlands regarding the country’s complaint in the International Tribunal against the arrest of the crew of the Greenpeace ship Arctic Sunrise, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksander Lukashevich told a news briefing on Thursday.

“The Netherlands filed an arbitration suit at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea on October 4,” he said.

“Dutch partners have provided us with the documents, which we are studying at the moment,” Lukashevich said, noting that “the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea allows for an arbitration request”.

The activities of the Dutch-flagged Arctic Sunrise vessel threatened the security of the oil platform in the Arctic Sea and were contrary to the international law, he said.

Lukashevich also dismissed the accusations over alleged excessive violence by the Russian side, referring to the earlier statements by the Russian president and foreign minister.

The Arctic Sunrise approached the Prirazlomnaya oil rig on September 18, despite orders from the Russian Border Guard Service not to do so. Several Greenpeace activists then attempted to climb up the oil platform, which is the first commercial offshore oil well in the Arctic.