NATO vows to enhance its Baltic Sea presence
Baltic cooperation: the Lithuanian minelayer “Jotvingis” (right) and the Latvian minesweeper “Talivaldis” (left) in formation with three German vessels during a joint exercise in Riga Bay in March 2022. Photo: Bundeswehr/Florian Persicke
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte vowed on Friday that the Alliance will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea.
The statement comes after the suspected sabotage of an undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia this week, News.Az reports.“Spoke with Finnish President Alexander Stubb about the ongoing Finnish-led investigation into possible sabotage of undersea cables. I expressed my full solidarity and support,” the NATO chief said on X.
“NATO will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea,” Rutte stated.
On Wednesday, Finnish authorities said that an undersea power cable connecting Finland and Estonia had been damaged, marking the latest in a series of incidents involving critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea.
Finnish power grid operator Fingrid said on Wednesday the Estlink 2 interconnector went offline at 12:26 pm local time (1026GMT).
Fingrid's head of operations Arto Pahkin told public broadcaster Yle that sabotage could not be ruled out and investigations are continuing.
On Thursday, Finnish police said, in cooperation with other authorities they are investigating the rupture of the Estlink 2 power transmission cable within Finland's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Gulf of Finland
The Helsinki Police Department and the Border Guard have conducted a tactical operation on the vessel while the authorities have taken investigative measures on the vessel, said the police.
The Baltic Sea has been the scene of several high-profile infrastructure incidents since the onset of Russia's war on Ukraine in February 2022, which heightened tensions in the region.
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