Baltic states need closer cooperation on critical infrastructure security - Lithuanian foreign minister

VILNIUS - An investigation will determine whether Sunday's likely severing of an optical cable in the Baltic Sea between Lithuania and Latvia near Latvia's port of Liepaja was intentional, Lithuania's foreign minister said Monday, calling for closer Baltic cooperation on critical infrastructure security.

"If this was the action of another state and it was intentional, responsibility cannot be limited to financial compensation for damage to property - there must also be political responsibility," Budrys told reporters. "But is clear that the Baltic states need to cooperate more on critical infrastructure security."

The minister said similar incidents in the past had involved fishing trawlers accidentally damaging cables, stressing the need to wait for the conclusions of an ongoing investigation being carried out by Latvian authorities.

"After a year-long pause, such incidents have started to recur in the Baltic Sea," he said, citing a recent case involving Finland and Estonia and the latest damage near the Latvian coast.

"This is a reminder that our homework is not finished," he added.

Budrys said the Baltic states should analyze what measures could be taken against vessels suspected of damaging undersea infrastructure.

"Lithuania's position is that coastal states whose assets are located there or which depend on their operation - including cables and pipelines - must have the right to act against vessels suspected of causing damage," he said, adding that compensation and clarification of motives were essential.