German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.Photo: Michele Tantussi/Getty Images
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that the latest incidents in the Baltic Sea should be seen as part of a hybrid strategy that poses a threat to European countries. This was reported by DW.
Speaking ahead of a summit in Helsinki on the recent sabotage of submarine cables in the Baltic region, Scholz stressed the importance of rapid coordination between countries to protect critical infrastructure.
“The German Navy will participate in the protection of infrastructure in the Baltic Sea. Germany is ready to take responsibility and act with its own resources,” Scholz said.
Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs also stressed that Europe should be prepared for new incidents in the Baltic Sea.
NATO plans to increase its presence in the region and launch a surveillance mission, in which new members Finland and Sweden have already agreed to participate. According to DPA, the mission will involve about ten ships, including an Estonian patrol ship in the Gulf of Finland.
The Helsinki Summit, hosted by Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Mihal, brought together the leaders of Denmark, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Sweden, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The European Commission is represented by Anna Virkkunen, Vice-President for Security and Technology.
The main topic of the meeting was ensuring the protection of infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, in particular from threats posed by Russia’s so-called “ghost fleet”. According to the German Foreign Ministry, this fleet consists of 79 ships used by Russia to circumvent international sanctions.
A recent incident involving damage to a cable between Finland and Estonia was likely caused by the Russian tanker Eagle S, which anchored the cable.
