Discussion on Security in the Baltic Sea Region - Gathering of the Baltic Sea Council in Wismar
In a move to strengthen cooperation in the Baltic Sea region, German Foreign Minister Baerbock has invited her counterparts from the member states of the Baltic Sea Council for a meeting in the historic Hanseatic city of Wismar on June 1 and 2.
The meeting, set to take place at the Stadtgeschichtliches Museum Wismar in the Schabbellhaus during a working lunch, will focus on three key themes of Germany's one-year presidency in the Baltic Sea Council. These themes are enhancing energy security, strengthening the resilience of democratic societies, and the clearance of munitions and unexploded ordnance on the seabed in the Baltic Sea region.
The first theme, energy security, particularly through the expansion of renewable energy, specifically offshore wind power, in the Baltic Sea region, will be a significant topic of discussion. The "Baltic Offshore Wind Forum" held in early May 2023 at the Federal Foreign Office highlighted the challenges and concrete steps for expansion, such as the agreement between German and Baltic companies to develop the grid infrastructure for transmitting power from Baltic offshore wind farms.
The second theme, the strengthening of the resilience of democratic societies, will be addressed through education and youth exchange. During the meeting, there will be a joint exchange between the foreign ministers of the Baltic Sea Council and youth representatives, who developed projects to strengthen societal resilience in the region during the "CBSS Youth Ministerials" in Berlin, which took place from May 21 to 25.
The political and security situation in the Baltic Sea region has significantly changed due to Russia's military aggression against Ukraine. Consequently, the meeting will likely discuss the new security reality in the Baltic Sea region. Russia subsequently withdrew from the Baltic Sea Council in May 2022, following its attack on Ukraine.
The Baltic Sea Council, a regional organization based in Stockholm, founded in 1992, has evolved into a wide network of interstate cooperation across various fields in the Baltic Sea region. The Council currently has 11 members: Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Sweden, Iceland, Norway, and the EU.
The meeting in Wismar will begin with an exchange and presentation of technology for the clearance of munitions by research institutions and companies in the Old Harbor of Wismar. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania will be represented by their youth representatives at the event, presenting projects to strengthen social resilience in the Baltic region.
Wismar, a Hanseatic city on the Baltic coast, symbolizing close ties in the Baltic Sea region and testifying to the region's complex history spanning centuries, serves as an apt venue for the meeting. The Baltic Sea Council serves as a forum for political dialogue and practical cooperation in the Baltic Sea region.
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