WASHINGTON, July 23 (RIA Novosti) - The...
its continental shelf extends beyond the 200-mile limit, it can claim rights to more of the ocean floor.The question of conflicting territorial claims on the arctic seabed has become a point of dispute between the United States, Russia, Canada, Norway and Denmark, especially after Russia undertook two Arctic expeditions - to the Mendeleyev underwater chain in 2005 and to the Lomonosov ridge in the summer of 2007 - to support its territorial claims in the region.
A titanium Russian flag was planted on the seabed of the Arctic Ocean and researchers conducted deepwater seismic probes.
The expedition to the Lomonosov ridge irritated a number of Western countries, particularly Canada, whose foreign minister accused Moscow of making an unsubstantiated claim to the area.
The Arctic region is believed to contain vast oil and gas reserves and other mineral riches, likely to become accessible in future decades due to the global warming.