NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg guaranteed this Wednesday that if it is confirmed that the leak in the Balticconnector undersea gas pipeline, between Finland and Estonia, was intentional, there will be “a united and determined response” from the organization.
“If it is proven that this was a deliberate attack on critical NATO infrastructure, [o responsável] will face a united and determined response from NATO,” Stoltenberg said upon arrival at the Atlantic Alliance headquarters, where a meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine and allied Defense Ministers is taking place today.
On Sunday, operators of the Finnish and Estonian gas systems reported noticing an unusual drop in pressure in the Balticconnector gas pipeline, after which they stopped the flow of gas, while the Finnish president said on Tuesday that the gas pipeline and a telecommunications network cable appeared to have been sabotaged.
Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday he was in contact with the President of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, and the Prime Minister of Estonia, Kaja Kallas, stressing that the key now is to “understand what happened”.
The two affected countries are conducting an investigation, with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo telling the press that the gas pipeline leak occurred in Finland’s exclusive economic zone.
For its part, the Estonian government said on Tuesday that the damage to the underwater gas pipeline was the result of a mechanical action of human origin and not an explosion.
The 77-kilometer Balticconnector gas pipeline crosses the Gulf of Finland, from the Finnish city of Inkoo to the Estonian port of Paldiski, in a bidirectional infrastructure transporting natural gas between Finland and Estonia.
The pipeline began commercial operations in early 2020.
Gasgrid Finland said the Finnish gas system is stable and the gas supply is secured through an offshore support vessel serving as a floating liquefied natural gas terminal at the port of Inkoo in southern Finland.
In September 2022, the Nord Stream gas pipelines connecting Germany and Russia in the Baltic Sea were hit by several explosions, with suspicions pointing to a possible act of sabotage.
A total of four gas leaks have been discovered in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, in an episode that has not yet been explained.
Source: DN
