The Ukrainian State Fisheries Agency has officially terminated the agreement signed in 1993 with the Russian Fisheries Committee to ensure the “rational use of biological resources” in the Sea of Azov in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Having undertaken a military invasion of the territory of Ukraine and blocking Ukrainian fishing activity in the Azov Sea basin, the Russian Federation prevented the parties from fulfilling their obligations under the agreement,” it said in a statement.
In this way, it has argued that, despite “repeatedly” raising the termination of the agreement, it has so far not been possible to carry it out “without negative consequences for the economy” as well as for Ukraine’s food security or without entailing repercussions for the region’s fishermen.
“Now our main task is to liberate all Ukrainian territories from the occupants, including the maritime ones, after which we will ensure the construction of fundamentally new approaches to the realization of our rights in the Azov Sea basin, which will meet the interests of Ukraine and its citizens.
The decision, which has been supported by the various Ukrainian ministerial portfolios, will have to be communicated to Russia, the other signatory to the agreement, by the Foreign Ministry, it said in a statement published on its website.
The agreement came into force in 1993 and acted as a tool to ensure the “rational use of the aquatic resources” of the Azov Sea under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.