Russia and Lithuania Settle State Border Issues

The two countries have divided the Baltic Sea shelf

On Wednesday, May 21st, The State Duma ratified two agreements between the Russian Federation and the republic of Lithuania regarding the Russian-Lithuanian state border and about the exclusive economic zone and the continental shelf of the Baltic Sea. Two hundred and sixty-eight deputies voted for the ratification of the document, 138 deputies voted against it and one deputy abstained.

The two documents were signed on October 24th, 1997 in Moscow by Russian and Lithuanian presidents Boris Yeltsin and Algirdas Brazauskas. As it is mentioned in the explanatory note to the document, the two agreements do not stipulate any territorial concessions to Lithuania - no territory is going to be handed over to the republic without an adequate compensation.

The state ground border virtually fixes the line of the previous border that was registered on the map of the world in 1963. The documents observed the principle, according to which any correction of the state borderline must be inconsiderable, as compared to the line of 1963. Furthermore, a correction like that is supposed to have an adequate compensation.

It is the first time, when Russia and Lithuania have determined the separation line on the Baltic Sea, though. During negotiations, the Russian side accepted Lithuania's request to let it have an access to the Swedish fishing area. Lithuania compensated Russia with a sea part of 4,2 sq. km. The explanatory note also runs that such a decision guarantees Russia's possession of the D-6 oil deposit in the Russian economic area. The agreement stipulates that Russia has a full possibility to develop the deposit.

As a result of the exchange within the scope of the Russian-Lithuanian state border agreement, the two countries have compensated each other with the total of 413,8 hectares each. State border agreements between Russia and Lithuania represent the interconnected solution of a package of issues on the base of balanced interests of the two countries.