The ministry of natural resources has approved a proposal for a nature reserve called "The Russian Arctic" including territory around a group of far northern Russian islands in the Arctic Sea, a ministry spokesman said Tuesday.

The reserve would cover the archipelago of Franz Josef Land and Victoria Island, as well as 8.36 million hectares (32,000 square miles) of surrounding sea, daily Vedomosti reported.

Competing claims over Arctic territory by numerous countries, including Canada, Denmark, and the United States, have sharpened since a Russian expedition planted a Russian flag on the North Pole seabed on August 2.

The Arctic Sea bed is thought to contain massive oil and gas reserves.

The ministry spokeswoman denied the nature reserve initiative was in any way connected to Russia's territorial claims, saying: "This project started in 2001 and has nothing to do with the recent expeditions."

The national park would have to be approved by the ministry of defence, which conducts naval manoeuvres in the area and has several outposts on the islands.

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