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Moscow says Hague arbitration court has no jurisdiction in Artic Sunrise case

The Hague arbitration court on Monday ruled Russia should compensate the Netherlands over the 2013 seizure of Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise ship
Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague AP Photo/Peter Dejong
Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague
© AP Photo/Peter Dejong

MOSCOW, August 25. /TASS/. Moscow considers that The Hague arbitration court that ordered Russia Monday to compensate the Netherlands over the 2013 seizure of Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise ship has no jurisdiction in this case, the Foreign Ministry official spokesperson, Mariya Zakharova has said.

"The Russian Federation took no part in these proceedings and continues to consider that the arbitration tribunal that has been set up has no jurisdiction in this case," Zakharova said in a commentary posted on the ministry’s website.

"The verdict in this case in fact encourages protest activity in the sea, which is by no means peaceful and that creates obstacles for carrying out an absolutely legal activity in the exclusive economic zone and on the continental shelf," she said.

The diplomat stressed that this violates "the legal rights of both individuals and coastal states." Moscow plans to study the judgement of the arbitration court in detail, Zakharova added.

"However, one can draw conclusion already now that the pronounced verdict fails to take into consideration to the full extent all the aspects of the incident involving the Greenpeace activists and also the related legal norms and judicial practice," the statement reads.

Zakharova also regrets that the arbitration court has ignored Russia’s stance on the major issues which was unveiled on August 5, 2015. The document details the steps of other states on countering the illegal acts of Greenpeace in the sea.

The ruling announced by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) based in The Hague in the Netherlands comes almost two years after the September 2013 incident on the Prirazlomnaya platform.

The Greenpeace Arctic Sunrise vessel approached the Russian offshore platform Prirazlomnaya and activists attempted to land on the platform at that time. Russian border guards prevented their actions and tugged the vessel to Murmansk port.

Thirty individuals on board the vessel were arrested, including Russians. The participants were released on bail in November 2013 and pardoned later. The arrest of Arctic Sunrise vessel was lifted on June 6, 2014.