Ukraine hopes to win the Serpent Island in court

Ukraine hopes that the Hague will rule in its favor in the case of the Serpents Island, a territory claimed by both Romania and Ukraine, said the Economic Collaboration Department manager in the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Korsunsky. The Serpents Island has a constant issue in the Romanian – Ukrainian talks, the territory being a former part of Romania, been after being taken over by USSR after the Second World War. The Ukrainian side claims that the island is inhabited, while Romania considers it a rock, with 12 miles of sea that should not belong to Ukraine.

„The Hague court is independent and it should not be influenced by the fact that Romania is an EU member. Ukraine acknowledged the island as inhabited, and the decision should be in its favor”, said Korsunsky.

RBC.ua reminds that the idea of having a free trade area on the Island was first raised in 2006, by the Ukrainian Telecomm Ministry. The statute of the Island started to be a problem in 2001, when a drilling installation discovered 10 million tons of crude oil and 10 billion cubic meters of natural gas 40 kilometers south of the island.