The Russian Ministry of Defense has proposed a revision on the borders of Russian territorial waters in the Baltic Sea according to a draft government decree. This proposal drew criticism from Finland, which is already a member of NATO, Reuters and BTA reported.
According to the draft decree of May 21, the ministry proposes to adjust the border around the Russian islands in the eastern part of the Gulf of Finland and around Kaliningrad.
"The line of the state border of the Russian Federation by sea will change", says a summary of the project. It does not make clear why the border needs to be adjusted, exactly how it will be adjusted and what, if any, consultations have been held with the other Baltic states, Reuters notes.
Following reports of the Russian Ministry's proposal, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen stated that Russia must comply with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
The intention of the Russian Ministry of Defense to change the state border line in the Baltic Sea is unexpected for Finland, said the chairman of the committee on foreign affairs in the Finnish parliament Kimo Kilyunen, quoted by TASS.
"First of all, we need to understand exactly what the problem is. Perhaps there are places in the economic areas that need to be reviewed, and the natural conditions may have changed. It is surprising that this is done on a notification basis. Usually these things are discussed and agreed upon. Now we find ourselves in a bit of an unexpected situation," Kilyunen said in a morning show on Yule TV.
Finland is monitoring the intention of the Russian Ministry of Defense to clarify the state border in the Baltic Sea, but Moscow has not yet contacted Helsinki, the country's president, Alexander Stubb, said in turn, as quoted by TASS.
"The Finnish authorities are investigating the information of the Russian media regarding the definition of maritime zones in the Gulf of Finland. The country's leadership is closely monitoring the situation. Russia has not made contact with Finland on this matter. Finland acts as always: calmly and based on facts," Stubb wrote on the social network "X".