From 29 June to 31 July 2026, the second part of the 31st session of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) took place in Kingston, Jamaica. 🇷🇺 Russian intergovernmental delegation headed by Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Dmitry Tetenkin took part in the session. It also included representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and specialised organisations. 🎙️In his speech at the opening of the Assembly, Dmitry Tetenkin emphasised the importance of the ISA as a key mechanism for implementing the provisions of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and set out Russia’s positions on a number of current issues. In particular, the Russian Federation does not recognise the outer limits of the “extended” continental shelf unilaterally established by Washington in 2023, as this step is inconsistent with established international practice and fails to comply with the relevant procedures. Possible unilateral actions by the United States to exploit the seabed within these limits are considered unacceptable. Russia takes the same position with regard to the Executive Order of the President of the United States of 24 April 2025 on deep-sea mining, which addresses the exploration and exploitation of seabed resources within the outer limits of the continental shelf of the United States and in areas beyond national jurisdiction. ❗️Unilateral steps to develop the deep seabed undermine the regime of the Area established by the 1982 Convention, erode the mandate of the International Seabed Authority, and pose a threat to the economic and social progress of all countries, first and foremost developing ones. #InternationalSeaLaw