Serpent Island The United Nations international court has refused to expand the borders of Ukraine's exclusive economic zone near the Serpent Island in the Black Sea.

The court did not question Ukraine's ownership of the island and the fact that it is an island. Yet the judges ruled that this "does not entitle the country to exclusive rights to an undersea area," the UN News Service said on Wednesday.

The case on the border delimitation in the Black Sea between Romania and Ukraine was initiated by Bucharest back in 2004. In discussing the border lines in the Black Sea Ukraine and Romania differed on the legal definition of the status of Ukraine's Serpent Island, which Romania suggested to define as a rock. By international law, a rock cannot claim territorial waters.

Ukraine regards this territory as an island with the right to territorial waters. The international court ruling delimitates the maritime borders of Ukraine and Romania in the continental shelf zone and their exclusive economic zones in the Black Sea around the island.

The court issued a compromise decision, Ukraine's representative to the International Court Volodymyr Vasylenko said in an interview with the UN Radio.

"Firstly, the line drawn by the court, which I hope will be honored by both parties, delimitates the waters in the 2.1 to 1 proportion in Ukraine's favor. Secondly, almost all oil and gas reserves, which were explored in this region, remain in Ukraine's territory," Vasylenko said.