Commenting on the information about a possible unilateral change of the maritime border, Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Laurynas Kasčiūnas pointed out that such a decision by Russia would not mean anything in law.
„Let's start with the fact that a unilateral statement that has not yet been confirmed in any way and (...) is not based on international law, not based on any international recognition, is null and void in principle,“ Kasčiūnas told journalists at a press conference in Palanga on Wednesday.
„I believe that this is an attempt to measure the temperature, to throw in some confusion, some chaos, some tension, and see how the reaction is,“ he continued.
Kasčiūnas believes Russia's moves could be linked to changes in the Baltic Sea and Sweden's and Finland's accession to NATO.
„What could it have to do with? I think that the balance of power in the Baltic Sea is changing. In other words, Russia realises that with Finland and Sweden joining NATO, the Baltic Sea is essentially becoming an internal NATO sea“, he reasoned.
„This, in a way, seems to lead to such strange decisions and provocations,“ explained the Head of the Ministry of National Defence.
However, Kasčiūnas noted that the most important thing is to take the situation calmly.
„Let's look at everything soberly and, most importantly, calmly, in a well-maintained and solid way. There may be more cases like this. It is just a reality. Let's not get used to it, but let's keep it in mind,“ he added and assured that there are no accurate signals that Russia intends to change its maritime borders.
Estonian Minister: we are being tested, but we won't jump into the fire
Kasčiūnas was echoed by his Estonian counterpart Hanno Pevkuras. According to him, such provocations are another sign that Russia does not care about international law. The politician also found it strange that only one newspaper had reported on Moscow's plans.
„I call these steps an improvisation. Russia is testing us – how we will react“, Pevkuras said.
„We will not jump into the fire. We see it very calmly; we will get all the necessary information. As we can see, Russia is already retreating“, he said, referring to the latest reports from Moscow.
„Every time you see something – especially from the Russian media – my advice is: please be careful. You get used to it; it's either lies or deliberate psychological operations“, he concluded.
This provocation is a matter for the entire NATO Alliance, says Latvian Minister
For his part, Latvian Defence Minister Andris Sprūds stressed that this is not the first Russian hybrid attack the Baltic States have faced. He referred to illegal migrants, cyber-attacks and disinformation campaigns. In this way, he said, the Kremlin regime is testing NATO countries.
The Minister also stressed that this provocation is an issue for the whole NATO Alliance.
„It is important to react, but not to overreact. We should not panic because we know what we are facing. We need to react with one voice, as we have done. In this case, this is a challenge for Lithuania or Finland and the whole NATO Alliance. We stand with Lithuania, and appropriate measures will be taken, if necessary,“ Mr Sprūds told a press conference.
The Moscow Times reports that Moscow has unilaterally decided to change the country's maritime borders with Lithuania and Finland based on a draft of the Russian Government's decision.
The document, drafted by the Russian Ministry of Defence, states that Russia intends to declare part of the waters in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland and the area near the towns of Baltiysk and Zelenogradsk in the Kaliningrad region to be its internal waters.
To achieve this objective, Russia has changed the geographical coordinates of the points that define the baselines from which the width of the Russian territorial sea and the adjacent zone along the coast and islands are measured.
According to the Annex to the Government Decision, on the border with Finland, the Russian Government plans to adjust the coordinates at the islands of Jagry, Somers, Hogland, Rodsher, Maly Tyuter and Vigrund, as well as at the northern entrance to the Narva River.
At the same time, on the border with Lithuania, Russia intends to revise the areas along the Curonian Spit, Cape Taran and the Baltic Spit.
A Russian representative was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (URM) on Wednesday to explain the situation.
