DOHA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Qatar on Thursday assigned its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) off its main coasts in the Gulf waters and the shores of the islands under its sovereignty, according to a foreign ministry statement.
Secretary-General of the Qatari Foreign Ministry Ahmed bin Hassan al-Hammadi, who is also chair of the ministry's Committee on the Law of the Sea, said Qatar's exclusive economic zones are measured from the baseline of its regional sea in the main shores and the shores of islands that belong to it.
"The EEZ extends 200 nautical miles or to the borders of the territorial waters of the neighboring countries in accordance to bilateral agreements signed between those countries," said Hammadi in the statement.
Qatar exercises full sovereign rights over the natural resources found in its exclusive economic zones in terms of exploitation, use, management, and development of these resources and maintaining them, he noted.
Earlier in the day, Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani issued a law on the maritime zones of the state.
