To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with countries with a territorial interest in the Arctic on potential claims; and if he will make a statement. (159483)

My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any discussions with countries with a territorial interest in the Arctic on the subject of potential claims which they may make in the region. States parties to the UN convention on the law of the sea may be entitled to claim an extended continental shelf beyond their territorial waters, subject to certain geological conditions, as defined in the convention.