Russia-United States maritime boundary
Encyclopedia
The Russia – United States maritime boundary de facto follows the June 1, 1990 USA/USSR Maritime Boundary Agreement (since Russia declared itself to be the successor of the Soviet Union
), but it has yet to be approved by the Russian parliament
. The United States Senate
gave its advice and consent to ratification as early as on September 16, 1991 and has no intentions to reopen the issue. In its turn, the US–USSR agreement is the confirmation of the earlier United States – Russia Convention of March 18 (O.S.)/March 30 (N.S.
), 1867. This sea border is also known as the Baker-Shevardnadze line or Baker-Shevardnadze agreement, after the officials who signed the deal, the Soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze
and the US Secretary of State James Baker
.
From the point, 65° 30' N, 168° 58' 37" W the maritime boundary
extends north along the 168° 58' 37" W meridian through the Bering Strait
and Chukchi Sea
into the Arctic Ocean as far as permitted under international law. From the same point southwards, the boundary
follows a line specified by maritime
geographic positions given in the Agreement.
. At these times, the national maritime interests were restricted only to the three-mile limit
. The purchase treaty did mention a boundary across the Bering Sea
. However, when the border issue became pressing with the introduction of the 200-mile limit by the Law of the Sea
it turned out the neither side could produce the maps used during the negotiations. What is more, the two sides agreed that the boundary was intended to be a straight line on a map, but they did not agree which map projection
was used: Mercator or conformal
. This resulted in about 15,000 square nautical miles of disputed area. The 1990 line split the difference between the two lines and introduced several "special areas", which were beyond the 200-mile zone, but in which the sides ceded their rights to the opponent. As a result, the United States controlled a far larger part of the disputed area in the Bering Sea. The United States Congress
quickly ratified the agreement as very favorable, but the Soviet Union failed to do so before its collapse in 1992
. Many in Russia have criticized Mikhail Gorbachev
and Edvard Shevardnadze for rushing the deal and ceding the Russian fishing rights and other maritime benefits for whatever reasons and insist on renegotiation. The United States continues the efforts to enforce the line against the encroaching Russian fishing vessels, in order to build up the evidence of "general state practice" that the 1990 agreement is indeed the marine border between the two countries.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
), but it has yet to be approved by the Russian parliament
State Duma
The State Duma , common abbreviation: Госду́ма ) in the Russian Federation is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia , the upper house being the Federation Council of Russia. The Duma headquarters is located in central Moscow, a few steps from Manege Square. Its members are referred to...
. The United States Senate
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...
gave its advice and consent to ratification as early as on September 16, 1991 and has no intentions to reopen the issue. In its turn, the US–USSR agreement is the confirmation of the earlier United States – Russia Convention of March 18 (O.S.)/March 30 (N.S.
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
), 1867. This sea border is also known as the Baker-Shevardnadze line or Baker-Shevardnadze agreement, after the officials who signed the deal, the Soviet foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze
Eduard Shevardnadze is a former Soviet, and later, Georgian statesman from the height to the end of the Cold War. He served as President of Georgia from 1995 to 2003, and as First Secretary of the Georgian Communist Party , from 1972 to 1985. Shevardnadze was responsible for many top decisions on...
and the US Secretary of State James Baker
James Baker
James Addison Baker, III is an American attorney, politician and political advisor.Baker served as the Chief of Staff in President Ronald Reagan's first administration and in the final year of the administration of President George H. W. Bush...
.
From the point, 65° 30' N, 168° 58' 37" W the maritime boundary
Maritime boundary
Maritime boundary is a conceptual means of division of the water surface of the planet into maritime areas that are defined through surrounding physical geography or by human geography. As such it usually includes areas of exclusive national rights over the mineral and biological resources,...
extends north along the 168° 58' 37" W meridian through the Bering Strait
Bering Strait
The Bering Strait , known to natives as Imakpik, is a sea strait between Cape Dezhnev, Chukotka Autonomous Okrug, Russia, the easternmost point of the Asian continent and Cape Prince of Wales, Alaska, USA, the westernmost point of the North American continent, with latitude of about 65°40'N,...
and Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea
Chukchi Sea is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is bounded on the west by the De Long Strait, off Wrangel Island, and in the east by Point Barrow, Alaska, beyond which lies the Beaufort Sea. The Bering Strait forms its southernmost limit and connects it to the Bering Sea and the Pacific...
into the Arctic Ocean as far as permitted under international law. From the same point southwards, the boundary
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
follows a line specified by maritime
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
geographic positions given in the Agreement.
Dispute
The need in the maritime boundary arose after the United States purchased Alaska from the Russian EmpireRussian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. At these times, the national maritime interests were restricted only to the three-mile limit
Three-mile limit
The three-mile limit refers to a traditional and now largely obsolete conception of the international law of the seas which defined a country's territorial waters, for the purposes of trade regulation and exclusivity, as extending as far as the reach of cannons fired from land.In Mare clausum John...
. The purchase treaty did mention a boundary across the Bering Sea
Bering Sea
The Bering Sea is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It comprises a deep water basin, which then rises through a narrow slope into the shallower water above the continental shelves....
. However, when the border issue became pressing with the introduction of the 200-mile limit by the Law of the Sea
Law of the sea
Law of the sea may refer to:* United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea* Admiralty law* The Custom of the Sea...
it turned out the neither side could produce the maps used during the negotiations. What is more, the two sides agreed that the boundary was intended to be a straight line on a map, but they did not agree which map projection
Map projection
A map projection is any method of representing the surface of a sphere or other three-dimensional body on a plane. Map projections are necessary for creating maps. All map projections distort the surface in some fashion...
was used: Mercator or conformal
Conformal map
In mathematics, a conformal map is a function which preserves angles. In the most common case the function is between domains in the complex plane.More formally, a map,...
. This resulted in about 15,000 square nautical miles of disputed area. The 1990 line split the difference between the two lines and introduced several "special areas", which were beyond the 200-mile zone, but in which the sides ceded their rights to the opponent. As a result, the United States controlled a far larger part of the disputed area in the Bering Sea. The United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
quickly ratified the agreement as very favorable, but the Soviet Union failed to do so before its collapse in 1992
Dissolution of the Soviet Union
The dissolution of the Soviet Union was the disintegration of the federal political structures and central government of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , resulting in the independence of all fifteen republics of the Soviet Union between March 11, 1990 and December 25, 1991...
. Many in Russia have criticized Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
and Edvard Shevardnadze for rushing the deal and ceding the Russian fishing rights and other maritime benefits for whatever reasons and insist on renegotiation. The United States continues the efforts to enforce the line against the encroaching Russian fishing vessels, in order to build up the evidence of "general state practice" that the 1990 agreement is indeed the marine border between the two countries.