Russia: Medvedev confirms expanded territory into Okhotsk Sea

Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev announced the signing of the document expanding its continental shelf into the Okhotsk Sea by some 52,000 sq km (20,000 sq miles) during a working visit to Iturup, Saturday. During his visit to the National Youth Educational Forum in Iturup, Medvedev stated that "I have signed the document that assigns the Russian border on the continental shelf of the Sea of Okhotsk", adding that "this is exactly where the huge sources of raw materials and energy are located." The territory in the Okhotsk Sea was recognised as Russia's continental shelf around 30 years ago, but sits outside of the 200-nautical mile zone recognised internationally as a country's "exclusive economic right." Russia's submission for recognition over the territory was first filed in 2001 and refiled again in 2013 and was reviewed and approved in 2014 with the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf as well as with Russia's neighbour Japan.