MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Arctic offshore studies initiated by Canada will not influence Russian activities on justification of outer borders of the Russian Arctic shelf at all, Minister of Natural Resources Sergei Donskoi said on Friday on its page in Facebook.

The Canadian government said earlier the country had started research for subsequent expansion of its continental shelf in the Arctic Ocean.

"Studies announced by Canada’s foreign ministry are performed to refine the document and justify further claims. This does not influence at all on our work on justification of outer borders of the Russian Arctic shelf we are performing in cooperation with the Russian Foreign Ministry. Canada formally confirmed earlier its consent to review of our application by the Commission on continental shelf limits," the Minister said.

Only Russia and Denmark submitted detail applications for extension of the Arctic shelf for the time being, Donskoi added.