MOSCOW, December 16 (Sputnik) — Denmark's reported claims to the United Nations over ownership of part of the North Pole are strange, as the commission does not establish state membership of arctic territories, Sergei Donskoi, the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Russia, has said.
"Bizarre statements, considering the fact that the commission does not establish state membership of the North Pole. The issues of maritime boundaries are part of the bilateral negotiations of the Arctic states," Donskoi stated on his Facebook page Monday, commenting on Denmark's claims reported by the Financial Times earlier in the day.
According to the Financial Times, the claims make Denmark the first country in the world to lay claims on most of the Lomonosov Ridge.
Russia has been trying to claim the Lomonosov and Mendeleev Ridges, abundant with hydrocarbons. However, Moscow's request was declined due to a lack of evidence. If scientists manage to prove that those ridges are a continuation of Russia's continental shelf, the country would receive a priority right of extracting local resources.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has told RIA Novosti that Russia's request of extension of its continental shelf borders has a good chance of being successful.
The Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of Russia estimates that the Lomonosov and Mendeleev Ridges could contain 5 billion metric tons of fuel.
