"Now the monitoring and patrols have been stepped up. First of all as concerns the NordBalt cable, i.e. the Lithuanian and Swedish power interconnection. For us it is a very important connection in terms of the electricity market," Vaičiūnas said in an interview to the radio station Žinių radijas on Thursday.
The politician noted that the Baltic States must not only monitor subsea infrastructure but also create concrete action plans.
"We are taking all possible steps both on bilateral and multilateral levels. I think these are the lessons that have been learned and response in the future should indeed be stronger," said Vaičiūnas.
According to the minister, response to sabotage may happen on three levels: by individual countries, based on bilateral contacts and on the level of the European Union and NATO.
The minister reiterated that damage to subsea cables will not stop the synchronisation project of the Baltic electricity grid with continental Europe through Poland.
As reported, last week, the EstLink 2 power cable between Estonia and Finland stopped operating. The two countries are linked by two power cables: 350 MW Estlink 1 and 650 MW Estlink 2.
Finnish officials suspect that the cable was cut in an act of sabotage as on 25 December three other cables were damaged in the Baltic Sea as well.
Finnish President Alexander Stubb on social platform X called to continue to address the challenges posed by Russia’s shadow fleet.
