Romania on Thursday took its territorial dispute with Ukraine over the sharing of Black Sea hydrocarbon resources to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) following fruitless negotiations between the two neighbours.
"Recourse to the ICJ, a move encouraged by the European Union, guarantees an equitable solution which responds to our national interests," Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Bogdan Aurescu told AFP.
"Despite more than 20 rounds of bilateral negotiations, the positions of the two sides have hardly moved at all, and a compromise solution is no longer on the cards," he said.
Romania's ambassador to The Netherlands, Iulian Buga, submitted arguments backed up by documents "proving the soundness of this application as well as the texts of relevant international conventions, including the 1982 convention on maritime law," Aurescu said.
In the submission, Bucharest asked the ICJ to "find a (resource)-sharing solution between Romania and Ukraine of the continental shelf of the Black Sea and exclusive economic zones in conformity with international law."
Aurescu said the dispute covers an area of 14,000 square kilometers (5,400 square miles), and includes Kiev's plan to create an exclusive economic zone (EEZ) around the small Serpents Island, where natural gas and oil deposits are thought to be concentrated.
The delimitation of the continental shelf is more than a matter of principle, but will "assure Romania's access to hydrocarbon deposits," Aurescu said.