Scott Morrison, former Prime Minister of Australia, said that the Cook Islands should be entitled to overcome the ocean floor so that any revenues from this activity can be used to develop the country’s sovereign wealth fund.

Speaking of a panel discussion on the Pacific Islands at the Week Conference in Singapore last Friday, the conservative politician acknowledged that the depths of the seas were controversial, but he said that the Cook Islands should be allowed to take their own choices “and” have the right to develop it in the future. “

The depths of the seas were mined in the spotlight in May, when the United States suggested controversial to withdraw the sea bottom for transitional minerals in American and international waters, a step that was the International Sea Floor Authority (ISA), which governs the industry, will be clear that it will be shown. The rear is international law.

The seabed mining faces the opposition to possible environmental damage. Nearly 1,000 marine scientists and politicians from more than 70 countries have signed a statement calling for Stand up In mining the depths of the seas, while 38 countries have made invitations Temporary stop or prohibition of extracting the sea floor. It has not yet been agreed on the rules for extracting the depths of the seas by ISA member states.

Morrison told his fans in Singapore: “If I ask people in this room, 99 percent will not support the sea floor mining,” Morrison told his fans in Singapore. “But if you ask the Cook Islands, they want it. It is a way for them to develop their sovereign wealth box.”

“They are more interested in the environment than anyone else. If we can support them in science and monitoring, why can’t they develop these resources?” Morrison said.

“Let them make their own options. They have the right to the future of their development and their ongoing sovereignty in terms of providing future generations. Isn’t this the goal?” He said. Morrison was criticized by the Climate Pacific Islands countries during his period as a major president to take insufficient measures to reduce emissions.

The Cook Islands, which consists of 15 islands and the island and an economic area that extends over 1.9 million square kilometers of the Pacific lands, has entered talks with the United States to explore mineral exploration at the sea floor in August. The Cook Islands struck a partnership in the depths of the seas with China earlier in the year.

Since his departure in 2022, the former leader of the liberal party, nicknamed “Scomo”, has taken many consulting roles, including a consultant position at the Metal Fund at the Sea Found (SMF), an American company aimed at investing $ 400 million in deep mining, and Dyne Dyne, which invested in the projects of the deep SEA disposal clip.

Dyne was created to support the strategic goals of AUKUS, the defense agreement between Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom formulated by the Maurison government in 2021.

The depths of the seas still remain a very controversial theme, not only because of the possible environmental effects, but due to the issues of property and those who should benefit from minerals such as cobalt, lehium and copper in international waters.

The recently ratified seas treaty, which was designed to protect marine life in the high seas, has led to uncertainty for mining supporters in the depths of the seas before the United Nations Climate Summit in New York, which is held this week.

The treaty stresses a “hedge” approach to human activities on the sea floor and in international waters, and aims to establish protected areas covering nearly a third of the seas in the world outside the national borders.