Denmark, Sweden call Russian envoys violations of airspace
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Officials say a Russian plane entered Danish airspace on Friday night east of the Danish Baltic island of Bornholm before flying into Swedish airspace.
Denmark and Sweden have called Moscow’s ambassadors after a Russian spy plane violated both countries’ airspace.
“The Russian ambassador will be summoned to the Foreign Ministry tomorrow,” Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod tweeted on Sunday, referring to a “new Russian violation of Danish airspace”.
The Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that the Russian ambassador would be called to Stockholm.
“There are established routines for this type of case. It is above all important to call the representative of the nation involved to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” it said in an email.
Kofod added that it was “completely unacceptable and particularly worrying in the current situation”, alluding to Russia’s attacks on Ukraine and growing tensions with NATO, of which Denmark is a member.
“It was a reconnaissance plane that was in our airspace for a very short moment. Two Danish F-16s intervened immediately,” said Henrik Mortensen, a press officer for the Danish Defense Command, on Sunday, adding that such incidents are rare.
Denmark is a member of NATO, unlike Sweden where a debate is underway on whether to abandon its non-aligned status and join the alliance.
In a question from Dagens Nyheter, the Swedish Minister of Defense said that there was no evidence that the intrusion was linked to ongoing discussions that Stockholm would eventually join NATO.
Russia has already signaled that Stockholm and Helsinki, which are also considering membership, should consider the consequences of such a measure on bilateral relations and Europe’s overall security architecture.
READ MORE: What are the pros and cons of becoming a NATO member?
READ MORE: An insight into Sweden and Finland’s Russia policy
Source: TRTWorld and agencies