Deputy speaker of the State Duma of Russia Arthur Chilingarov (center)
Photo: Olga Chumachenko
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Russia Will Demand Arctic in 2009
Deputy speaker of the Russian State Duma Artur Chilingarov has stated that Russia may file an application with all the necessary documentation with the UN to have Lomonosov and Mendeleev Ridges ascribed to the Russian continental shelf. Chilingarov said that boring will be carried out next year to prove conclusively where the borders of the Russian shelf are located. This will be Russia's second application. The first one was rejected for lack of proof.
The Russian Ministry of Natural Resources announced on September 20 that preliminary analysis shows that the material collected by the Arctic 2007 expedition prove that the ridges are part of the Russian continental shelf. More exact information will be available in December.
Scientists and the authorities hope to prove that the shelf of the Arctic Ocean is a continuation of the Siberian continental platform in order to expand Russian's sovereign right to millions of square kilometers and claim the hydrocarbon reserves there, which are estimated at about 10 billion tons.
www.kommersant.com
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