Analysis of Russia’s Preliminary Objections Regarding Sovereignty Rights Within the Scope of Dispute Concerning Coastal State Rights in the Black Sea, Sea of Azov, And Kerch Strait (Ukraine v. The Russian Federation)

Year 2021, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 249 - 320, 01.06.2022

Cemre Çise Kadıoğlu Kumtepe

Abstract

In 2016, Ukraine initiated an arbitration proceeding against the Russian Federation (Russia) regarding the coastal state rights in the Black Sea, Azov Sea and Kerch Strait in accordance with Annex VII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) dated 1982. Russia objected to the jurisdiction of the arbitral tribunal and demanded that the objection is resolved preliminarily. Russia has argued that Ukraine’s claims are based on claims of sovereignty over which the Arbitral Tribunal has no jurisdiction. As a result of its review, the Arbitral Tribunal accepted Russia’s objection regarding sovereignty issues, rejected some of its other objections, and stated that it could not decide without entering into the merits of some other objections. In this study, after the summary of the dispute, the objection accepted by the Arbitral Tribunal is discussed. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the Arbitral Tribunal followed the Chagos MPA award, but since it did not determine which claims of Ukraine were related to the sovereignty dispute, the door was left open on the issue of jurisdiction; hence the jurisdiction could be expanded by considering the claims as not related to the sovereignty dispute.

Keywords

United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, Mixed Dispute, Sovereignty, Objection to Jurisdiction, Crimea

Karadeniz, Azak Denizi ve Kerç Boğazı’ndaki Kıyı Devletlerinin Haklarına İlişkin Uyuşmazlık (Ukrayna v. Rusya Federasyonu) Kapsamında Rusya’nın Egemenlik Haklarına Yönelik İlk İtirazının İncelenmesi

Abstract

2016’da Ukrayna, Rusya Federasyonu’na (Rusya) karşı 1982 tarihli Birleşmiş Milletler Deniz Hukuku Sözleşmesi (BMDHS) Ek VII uyarınca Karadeniz, Azak Denizi ve Kerç Boğazı’ndaki kıyı devleti haklarına ilişkin tahkim yargılaması başlatmıştır. Rusya, Hakem Mahkemesi’nin yetkisine itiraz etmiş ve öncelikli olarak karara bağlanmasını talep etmiştir. Rusya, Ukrayna’nın taleplerinin egemenlik iddialarına yönelik olduğunu ve Hakem Mahkemesi’nin yetkisi olmadığını ileri sürmüştür. Hakem Mahkemesi inceleme sonucunda Rusya’nın bu itirazını kabul ederken, diğer bazı iddialarını reddetmiş, bazılarını ise esasa girmeden karara bağlayamayacağını belirtmiştir. Bu çalışmada, uyuşmazlığın özetine yer verildikten sonra Hakem Mahkemesi’nin kabul ettiği itiraz ele alınmıştır. Çalışmanın sonucunda, Hakem Mahkemesi’nin Chagos MPA kararından etkilendiği ancak Ukrayna’nın hangi taleplerinin egemenlik sorunuyla ilgili olduğunu belirlemediği için yetki konusunda açık kapı bırakıldığı ve taleplerin egemenlikle ilgisi olmadığına karar verilmesiyle yetki alanının genişletilebileceği sonucuna varılmıştır.

Keywords

Birleşmiş Milletler Deniz Hukuku Sözleşmesi, Karma Uyuşmazlık, Egemenlik, Yetki İtirazı, Kırım

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