UN court hears Romania-Ukraine border dispute

The UN`s highest court has started hearings on a Black Sea border dispute between Romania and Ukraine.

One hundred billion cubic meters of natural gas and oil reserves are at stake.

Romania will present its case to the International Court of Justice in The Hague from Tuesday. Ukraine will follow next week.

The dispute dates back to 1967 between Romania and the former Soviet Union.

In 1997, both Romania and Ukraine said they would not exploit the reserves in the disputed area.

But the two sides failed to reach an agreement on the Black Sea border. Romania took the case to the court in 2004.

The court will likely take months to reach a decision. The findings of the court are binding.