THE HAGUE, September 23. /TASS/. Ukraine's claims that Russia is obstructing navigation in the Kerch Strait and the Sea of Azov "have no grounds whatsoever," Gennady Kuzmin, Ambassador-at-Large and Russia’s UN International Court of Justice envoy, said at the hearings in the international arbitration.

"In addition to lacking jurisdiction over them, they are simply incorrect," the head of the Russian delegation noted. "Since the Kerch Strait is not an international strait under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, its transit passage provisions cannot be applied."

The convention, Kuzmin noted, does not regulate inland waters, except in extremely limited circumstances. "The Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait constitute such inland waters," he stated. "This is confirmed by the practice of both Russia and Ukraine and bilateral agreements between them. The historical legal basis has never before been disputed by Russia, Ukraine or any third state. Ukraine itself has repeatedly officially recognized the internal and historical status of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait in both treaties and political declarations."