Lithuania will protect submarine cables after the failures in Nordbalt, between the Baltic country and Sweden

MADRID Jan. 14 () –

The Lithuanian Navy and the electricity grid operator Litgrid announced this Monday that they have signed a cooperation agreement to monitor and protect the Nordbalt, an underwater electricity cable that connects the Baltic country with Sweden.

According to the document signed in the country’s capital, Vilnius, both parties commit to cooperating in the supervision of important underwater infrastructures, for which they will share information on observed violations and unusual activities and update existing protection measures.

The Lithuanian authorities thus hope to improve defense mechanisms and increase the protection of its critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, after several alleged acts of sabotage, and to guarantee the safety of the high-voltage direct current cable from Nordbalt to Sweden.

“The scale and nature of threats to critical maritime infrastructure require close cooperation. We can be satisfied that this cooperation is constantly being carried out, and the signing of the Naval Cooperation Agreement of the Lithuanian Armed Forces with Litgrid will allow it to be structured further and ensure full efficiency,” said Admiral Giedrius Premeneckas, Commander of the Navy.

“The agreement establishes an important common objective for Lithuania: the best possible security of the underwater electrical infrastructure of the Baltic Sea. We are grateful to the Lithuanian Armed Forces and the Naval Forces for their cooperation and assistance,” said the director. by Litgrid, Rokas Masiulis.

The announcement comes after Swedish Defense Minister Carl-Oskar Bohlin reported a newly discovered anchor drag mark near the NordBalt cable on Sunday.

“In recent years, submarine cables have become a frequent target of diversions and other malicious actions; their protection requires specialized technologies and constant monitoring, ensuring an appropriate response to unusual activities,” Litgrid said in a statement. .

Threats to regional maritime security, including alleged Russian sabotage, will be one of the key issues to be discussed by NATO member states at the summit taking place this Tuesday in Finland.