Council for the Baltic Sea Regions - Baerbock advocates united response to Moscow's minor provocations.
Diplomat Annalena Baerbock reveals a united front from the democratic nations surrounding the Baltic Sea against Russian provocations. "If Russia's needles [try] to divide us, we'll remain even more tightly bound," stated the Green Party member at a two-day gathering of Baltic Sea Council foreign ministers in Finland last Thursday. Baerbock also aimed a remark at Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding, "Security today means being safe from Putin's Russia, not with it."
The meeting started off on Thursday night in Porvoo, close to the Finnish capital Helsinki, with a customary photo of the attendees. The main subject of the dinner to follow was "defending against Russian hybrid threats in the Baltic Sea region." Baerbock desired a one-on-one meeting with her Finnish counterpart Elina Valtonen on the following day. The ensuing working session would revolve around enhancing crisis management and resistance within the Baltic Sea region.
The Baltic Sea Council was established in 1992 by the suggestion of German and Danish foreign ministers to encourage the political and economic transformation of the Baltic Sea region and maintain its stability. It currently consists of the eight Baltic Sea coastal states: Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Sweden, together with Iceland, Norway, and the EU. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in March 2022, Russian membership was suspended, and in May 2022, Russia ceased to be a member of the Baltic Sea Council. The headquarters for the organization lies in Stockholm.
Hacks, GPS disturbances, and disinformation
Baerbock emphasized the importance of data cables, shipping lanes, and wind turbines in the Baltic Sea region, as they connect the free societies. When confronted with intricate hybrid threats - including GPS signal interference, underwater cable sabotage, and social media disinformation campaigns - those democratic Baltic Sea coastal states will unite in their response, she stated.
In late May, Russia removed boundary markers along the border river Narva in Estonia, thereby disturbing the borders between the two countries and the eastern edge of the EU and NATO. Moreover, there were tensions regarding potential Russian moves towards changing maritime boundaries in the Baltic Sea and adjustments at its exclave of Kaliningrad, which borders Lithuania.
Due to GPS signal disruption in the Baltic Sea area, Estonia ordered the removal of the commercial attaché from the Russian embassy at the conclusion of May. At that time, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna had informed that Russia's jamming - the disruption or obstruction of the signal - had intensified significantly. This puts civil aviation at serious risk. The GPS signal guides airplanes, allowing them to identify their position and navigate through the sky.
"NATO joint security ribbon over the Baltic Sea"
Now, with the entrance of Finland and Sweden into NATO, Baerbock proclaimed that "NATO has become our joint security shield over the Baltic Sea." "As maritime neighbors surrounding the Baltic Sea, we are united: We want to defend our freedom and security in the Baltic Sea region - now and for future generations," she asserted.
Sweden joined NATO on March 7th and subsequently declared its intention to take part in the airspace surveillance under NATO's command. Thus, Swedish fighter jets are anticipated to be deployed under the moniker "NATO Air Policing," primarily over the Baltic region. Like Finland, Sweden petitioned NATO membership after being influenced by Russia's attack on Ukraine following decades of military neutrality. Finland leaped aboard NATO in April 2023. Since then, Russian President Vladimir Putin has disclosed the deployment of extra troops and weaponry systems on the border with Finland.
