Mazhar L. Legal Means of Dispute Resolution for International Maritime Disputes: Theoretical and Practical Aspects

The thesis is dedicated to research of the concepts of "international maritime dispute", "situation", "legal means of dispute resolution" in modern International Law of the Sea, as well as their practical application, in particular, by the states of the Azov - Black Sea basin. The author analyses the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes in modern International Law of the Sea and, in particular, on the example of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and other conventions. The evolution of international maritime disputes and legal means of their resolution, their features, maritime disputes resolution practice from ancient times to the present days is considered in detail and the most common as well as specified criteria for the author classification of international maritime disputes is summarized. The thesis is concerned with the study of international maritime disputes on maritime delimitation between Romania and Ukraine in the Black Sea, as resolved by the International Court of Justice on February 9, 2009; between Ukraine and Russian Federation regarding delimitation and use of the Azov sea and the Kerch Strait, which at that time was not yet finally resolved and negotiations are still ongoing. Although the parties identified the regime of the Azov sea and the Kerch Strait as their inland waters according to the Agreement on cooperation in the use of the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait on December 24, 2003. Particular issues of the potential international maritime disputes and situations in this basin regarding the use of the Black Sea canal Bosporus and the Dardanelles, Russia's Black Sea Navy on Ukrainian territory, maritime boundary between Russia, Abkhazia and Georgia, operation of the channel Danube - Black Sea through the debauchment Bystroye are studied. The author makes predictions for resolving each of them by peaceful means in accordance with International Law.