Comment by the Russian Ambassador to Denmark V.Barbin to "Reuters" in connection with the creation of a coalition of countries at the initiative of Denmark to restrict Russian oil exports through the Baltic Straits
The Copenhagen Treaty of 1857, which is a valid and legally binding international treaty, guarantees that there will be no pretext for stopping ships or impeding their passage through the Baltic (Danish) Straits. Any change to such a regime for international shipping in the area is unacceptable.
The threat to the safety of navigation and the marine environment in the Baltic Sea are not the tankers with Russian oil, but the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia. This is what the coalition of States established at Denmark's initiative should be thinking about, rather than aspiring to violence against international law and common sense.
The Copenhagen Treaty of 1857, which is a valid and legally binding international treaty, guarantees that there will be no pretext for stopping ships or impeding their passage through the Baltic (Danish) Straits. Any change to such a regime for international shipping in the area is unacceptable.
The threat to the safety of navigation and the marine environment in the Baltic Sea are not the tankers with Russian oil, but the sanctions imposed by the West against Russia. This is what the coalition of States established at Denmark's initiative should be thinking about, rather than aspiring to violence against international law and common sense.
Reuters
Denmark seeks to stop shadow tanker fleet carrying Russian oil
Denmark is considering ways to stop a so-called shadow fleet of tankers from carrying Russian oil through the Baltic Sea, the Nordic country said on Monday, triggering a sharp response from Moscow's diplomats who said any such move would be unacceptable.