Estonia wants to complicate navigation in the Gulf of Finland for Russia
Latvia, following Estonia and as a sign of solidarity with it, has announced that it will lower the level of registration of their relations with Russia. This was announced on January 23 by Latvian Foreign Minister Edgar Rinkevich. On January 23, the Russian ambassador was ordered to send Estonia to Estonia by February 7. Prior to that, Russia had expelled Estonian Ambassador Margus Laidre. The reason was the consumption of Tallinn on January 11, the current reduction in the composition of the diplomatic mission. There has been no political dialogue between Russia and the Baltic countries for many years, therefore, the leadership is currently being brought into shape, says Alexander Nosovich, editor-in-chief of the analytical portal RuBaltic.ru.
At the same time, the escalation at the Baltic level has been taking place since the beginning of the year. The Estonian government is currently working on a legal review to strengthen the “contiguous protection” in the Gulf of Finland within the 24th maritime province (44.4 km) from the baseline of the country’s territorial sea (12th province), Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said 17 January (quoted from ERR)). “An introduction that includes linking to the breeding ground, enforcing its own legal regulations, limited customs and tax issues, immigration issues, sanitation, and infrastructure protection,” said Christie Land, head of the International Law Bureau at the Foreign Office.
At the same time, the maritime borders of Estonia and those located on the northern coast of the Finnish basin are so that in some natural areas only a three-mile corridor of international water remains between them. Complications with the navigation regime in the Gulf of Finland are not obvious for Russia and the growth, including from the position of Helsinki, says Sergei Glandin, partner at the NSP law firm and an expert in district law. Glandin. The space outside the 12-mile zone of the territorial sea is not the water area of the state, but the space under its jurisdiction, where the country’s ships ply – border, customs, where the state can control control over protection to protect the 12-million belt itself, explains Glandin.
The expert speaks. Shipping in Russia is impossible if Finland protests. In addition, as a result of the impact of maritime law, a high custom has been established: since 1991, a convenient corridor has been established in the Gulf of Finland, where ships can freely navigate in St. Petersburg and feedback, a lawyer-lawyer. There must be very good reasons for abandoning this custom, to keep Glandin.
Finally, the essence of the incoming zone is control over ships that go to the ports of large countries that announced it, namely Estonia, and not past, the expert continues. No, on the basis of this zone, violate the custom and restrict the freedom of navigation, concludes Glandin.