Cooperation of Russia with Arctic Nations in the Field of Legal Regulation of the Use of Northern Territories

Abstract

The paper considers the issue of cooperation between Russia and other nations of the Arctic zone and legal regulation of the processes related to interaction between the countries in this region. The most important legal provisions of international conventions and bilateral agreements on the use of the Arctic in economic and business activities are analyzed. Methods of scientific cognition are applied to study the essential areas of legal regulation of various aspects of human life and activities in the Arctic. Important aspects of international activity in the Arctic region are studied, such as: determining territorial belonging of northern lands to one or another nation, dividing jurisdiction of individual countries according to the principles of international law and agreements made between the participants of natural resource management in the northern regions. The issues concerning division of the sea shelf between bordering countries are covered. Based on the implemented approaches, certain results were reached: collisions between various international regulatory enactments were detected, and possibilities of settling some legal aspects of activities of the countries located in the Arctic were determined. Possible options were considered for the processes related to the development of natural resources in the northern seas and territories. It was established that the activities of the countries belonging to the Arctic group can ensure positive outcomes for comprehensive development of northern territories only in case there is full cooperation based on equal rights of all the countries in this region, which calls for joint development of a system of legal acts and international agreements covering the most important aspects of the use of the advantages of the Arctic zone for further sustainable natural resource management.