Baltic Sea NATO allies, EU agree on cooperation to protect undersea infrastructure

LONDON

Baltic Sea NATO states and the EU on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on cooperation to protect critical undersea infrastructure.

10 European countries and the EU agreed on enhanced cooperation to protect undersea cable infrastructure after the start of negotiations on the MoU was announced at the Baltic Sea NATO Allies Summit in Helsinki on Jan. 14 this year.

The MoU was signed during the ministerial meeting of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) in Vihula, Estonia.

The CBSS consists of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Sweden as well as the EU.

In a statement, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen said that the MoU highlights the significance of political cooperation between the Baltic Sea countries in a time "when Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has increased the threat level in the Baltic Sea."

"It is important to protect critical underwater infrastructure against both unintentional and intentional actions," she said.

The Baltic Sea has been the location of several high-profile infrastructure incidents since the onset of Russia's war on Ukraine in February 2022, which heightened tensions in the region.