BAGUIO CITY – The earlier reported entry of a Russian attack submarine into the Philippines exclusive economic zone late last month is not problematic because of the guaranteed right of free passage pursuant to international law, United States (US) Ambassador to the Philippine Mary Kay Carlson said here Tuesday, December 3, afternoon.
Ambassador Carlson was in town to lead the Holiday Treat of the US Embassy to concerned stakeholders and attend the ongoing World Textile Congress hosted by the city.
“What is a cause of concern is when countries are in your EEZ and attempt to claim that territory as their own. I did not see that thing happen in the said situation,” Ambassador Carlson stressed.
Earlier, the National Security Council (NSC) clarified that the Russian attack submarine spotted within the Philippines’ EEZ was exercising its right to freedom of navigation. The submarine was returning from exercises with the Royal Malaysian Navy and awaiting better weather before heading to its base in Vladivostok, Russia in the afternoon of November 28, 2024.
Under international law, countries have the right to the economic benefits that are within their 200-kilometer exclusive economic zone but there is also that guarantee of freedom of navigation and right to free passage of vessels.
According to her, had the Russian submarine not surfaced, then people should have not known about its presence in the area.
She pointed out that there is no compelling evidence to prove that the Russian attack submarine was doing something wrong in the country’s EEZ, thus, for as long as the passage of vessels in the EEZ is within the bounds of international law, then there is no problem about the said situation.
She asserted that freedom of navigation and freedom in the high seas is one of the major principles that must be internalized by seafaring nations like the Philippines considering that it is one of the top producers of seafarers worldwide.
For his part, President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. described the presence of the said submarine as worrisome.
The Philippine Navy immediately dispatched a patrol aircraft and a frigate to track the submarine’s movements after it was informed by the AFP Western Command, which has jurisdiction over the southern portion of the WPS.
Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea or UNCLOS, submarines or ships need not seek permission from the coastal state when transiting through its EEZ,
The BRP Jose Rizal, one of the Philippine Navy’s most modern warships, shadowed the Russian submarine’s entire passage through the country’s EEZ up until the weekend. The underwater vessel identified itself on an initial radio inquiry as Ufa 490. It said it was headed for Vladivostok, Russia, from Malaysia, where it had participated in an exercise with the Royal Malaysian Navy. By Dexter A. See
