Rome, 22 May 2024 – All eyes on the Baltics. The front becomes more and more explosive afterwards Moscow’s announcement on the redefinition of the maritime borders of the Gulf of Finland, in the Baltic Sea. Moreover, the Baltic countries have long been shouting at their European partners about “risk of Russian aggression on their borders”. “This unilateral decision is yet another proof of Russia’s aggressive and revisionist policy a threat to the security of neighboring countries and the whole of Europe“, reiterated the Vilnius Foreign Ministry in a statement released today.
Talks about “Russian hybrid operation” the Lithuanian foreign minister Gavrielius Landsbergis. “This time in an attempt to spread fear, uncertainty and doubt about their intentions in the Baltic Sea – he adds -. It’s about a clear escalation against NATO and the EU that must be addressed with an appropriately firm response“. Vilnius – says a Lithuanian government source – has summoned “a representative of the Russian Federation to obtain a full explanation”. “We are also coordinating our response with partners”.
Latvian Military Defense (Ansa)
According to the president of the Defense Commission of the Lithuanian Parliament, Arvydas Pociusthe announcement made by Moscow has the sole objective of “intimidate Westerners and reduce support for Kiev”. “This rhetoric is nothing new,” Pocius said. “However, the threat must be taken seriously: we have a duty to remain vigilant.” According to a military-diplomatic source, cited by Russian agencies, however, “There is no intention to review the depth of the waters, the economic zone, the continental shelf near the coast or the line of the Russian state border in the Baltic.”
Finland’s reaction
Now the Finnish Foreign Ministry is “working out the details”, says the minister Elina Valtonen who commented on the news on X as follows: “It is worth remembering that also confusion is a hybrid flu. Finland is not confused”. Valtonen then recalls that “the transfer of maritime borders is regulated by United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seaof which Russia is part”. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Kimmo Kiljunen, says that Russia did not inform Finland in advance of its plans to change the maritime borders.
What Moscow is asking for
The Moscow authorities unilaterally decided to change Russia’s maritime borders with Lithuania and Finland in the Baltic Sea, according to a draft government decree published online last night by the Kremlin. The Russian Ministry of Defense has proposed to approve a list of geographical coordinates defining the width of the continental coast, the Russian territorial sea and the Baltic islands that will alter the border in the western exclave region of Kaliningrad. “The approval of the project will establish a missing system of straight baselines on the southern part of the Russian islands in the eastern Gulf of Finland near Baltiysk and Zelenogradsk, and allow their use as internal waters – reads the document -. This will change the maritime border of the Russian state, due to a change in the external borders of the territorial sea.” The draft decree claims that the previous geographical coordinates would be registered on the basis of marine navigation maps that were based on 20th century research“do not fully correspond to the current geographical situation” and “do not allow determining the external border of the internal waters of Russia”.
The Kremlin does not deny it
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov he did not deny a proposal from the Ministry of Defense to change the maritime borders in the Baltic Sea with Finland and Lithuania, underlining that the level of tensions, especially in this region, “requires relative steps” by Russian ministries and agencies “to guarantee national security”. On the merits of the Peskov issue, he invited journalists to contact the Ministry of Defense.
