Ambassador-at-large of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Anton Korinevich said that the Kerch Bridge should be dismantled, since this is the only way to restore free navigation in the region.
This was reported by URA-Inform with reference to Ukrinform.
According to him, the Ukrainian side hopes that the tribunal in The Hague will hear Ukraine.
“The demand to demolish the so-called Kerch Bridge is absolutely logical, because it is an obstacle to freedom of navigation. When the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk raise the Ukrainian flag again, this bridge will again harm and violate freedom of navigation. Therefore, there is simply no other way to restore freedom of navigation in this water area. The bridge must cease to exist – this is a fact,” he said.
During all the hearings in The Hague and open statements by the Ukrainian side, it was repeatedly noted that there is no other way to ensure the free movement of ships.
Korinevich also noted that the bridge also has a negative impact on the ecology of the region, violates environmental protection requirements and cultural heritage, in particular underwater artifacts. These environmental consequences may only become apparent in decades.
“Therefore, this structure, which violates the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, must cease to exist. Now the tribunal will make a decision on Ukraine's claim,” — said Korinevich.
According to him, the Ukrainian delegation made efforts to demonstrate to the arbitration tribunal Russia's violation of the norms of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea concerning freedom of navigation, transit passage, environmental protection and the preservation of cultural heritage.
It is worth noting that the hearings on Ukraine's lawsuit against the Russian Federation for the violation of its rights as a coastal state under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea have ended at the Peace Palace in The Hague.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have begun preparing the Dnipropetrovsk region for defense: what is already known.