MADRID 10 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The reinforcement of the naval deployment agreed by NATO to protect critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea will initially result in the sending of two ships, the Finnish Foreign Minister, Elina Valtonen, announced this Friday.
At the end of December, the Atlantic Alliance already expressed its “solidarity” with Finland and Estonia after the damage caused to an underwater cable, “one of several incidents” recorded in that same area. The bloc committed to “reinforce the military presence”, with a view to improving surveillance and promoting deterrence.
“A greater NATO presence in the Baltic Sea has a calming and stabilizing effect,” said Valtonen, “satisfied” by the deployment of two allied ships, according to the Yle television channel.
The minister has also announced that Finland will adopt its own measures to supervise the potential movements of the Russian ghost fleet, with which Moscow seeks to continue exporting its products despite the international sanctions imposed following the invasion of Ukraine. At the European level, Valtonen has advocated for more ships to be placed on the sanctions blacklist.
“It is clear that this fleet represents a threat to critical underwater infrastructure,” he added, while investigations are still open into the damage suffered by the EastLink2 telecommunications cables, due to which the flagged freighter ‘Eagle S.’ remains blocked. of the Cook Islands.