Blitz Bureau
OTTAWA: Canada and the US have announced that they will create a task force to negotiate a boundary dispute in the Arctic.
In a joint statement on September 24, the two countries said the task force would undertake negotiations on the maritime boundary in the Beaufort Sea, including resolving the overlap in the continental shelf in the Central Arctic Ocean, Xinhua news agency reported.
The area at issue is situated north of Alaska, Yukon and the Northwest Territories, the statement said. The dispute over a section of the Beaufort Sea dates back to 1825. Late last year, the U.S filed a continental shelf claim with a United Nations agency that includes a large chunk of the Beaufort Sea floor that Canada also seeks to control.
“Canada and the United States will work collaboratively toward a final agreement that will provide clarity on our Arctic maritime boundaries, bearing in mind the responsible conservation and sustainable use of Arctic resources for the mutual benefit of Americans and Canadians, including Indigenous Peoples,” said the statement.
According to the statement, the task force is expected to begin negotiations this fall.
