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Comment by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on the declaration of the Western members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States

4 March 2022 19:55
429-04-03-2022

On March 3, 2022, the foreign ministers of the Western countries - members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States (Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland and Sweden) and the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy adopted a declaration on the suspension of Russia's participation in the council's proceedings, doing this in an unacceptable manner and citing the situation in Ukraine. They have also suspended the participation of Belarus as a CBSS observer state.

We regard this as a hostile action contradicting the spirit of Baltic cooperation and the legal foundations of the Council. For the past 30 years, the CBSS has reliably promoted practical interaction in the Baltic region, demonstrating strong immunity to political factors. The signatories of the "declaration" have destroyed our mutual achievements and have scorned the principle set out in the statutory documents of the CBSS, according to which decisions within it are taken by consensus.

Regrettably, Russophobic instincts have prevailed in our Baltic neighbours. Acting contrary to common sense, they have decided to go along with those who will benefit from destroying relations between Russia and the other Baltic Sea states. By crossing Russia off, the initiators of this document have defeated the purpose of the CBSS and are turning it into a subordinate of Brussels, which will serve exclusively the EU's interests and will have no power to take any decisions bearing on the future of the Baltic region. Responsibility for the consequences of that decision will lie squarely with our Western colleagues.

Under these circumstances, we will be forced to revise the future of the CBSS and to consider the possibility of terminating the operation of the Nordic Council of Ministers, of which Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden are member states, on the territory of our country.