| From Russian reconnaissance aircraft NATO Secretary General, Dutchman Jaap de Hoop Scheffer (he will visit Moscow at the end of March) visited Lithuania yesterday. He met with the top officials of the state and spoke in the Sejm (parliament). Among many issues, control over the airspace of the Baltic countries was discussed. It is especially relevant in connection with the recent flights over the Baltic territory of the NATO AWACS reconnaissance aircraft. Seeing them as a threat to Russia's security, the Russian Air Force (VVS) increased flights over the Baltic. A couple of times, Russian reconnaissance planes even crossed the Estonian air border. The Baltics are also concerned about the security of their airspace, because these countries do not have fighter jets in service.
Mr. Scheffer did not give specific answers to the question of concern to the Baltic states, but assured that protection would be provided. It is expected that this problem will be discussed next week at a meeting of the NATO Council.
The possibility of allocating four F-16 fighters for the Baltic “air police” was considered by the Danish parliament last Thursday. As the Lithuanian Ambassador to Denmark, Daividas Matulionis, explained, this was only a presentation of the idea itself as one of the possible options. But the Lithuanian Ministry of Regional Defense has little doubt that the fighters will be stationed in Lithuania at the Zokniai airfield, which has been visited by NATO specialists more than once. The First Base of the Lithuanian Air Force is located at this former Soviet air force base in the North-Western region. It was there that the NATO E-3 AWACS landed. While the runway is being repaired there, Vilnius airport can serve as an alternative. Other possible participants in the project are also named - Germany, Norway, Poland.
In early February in Munich, Lithuanian Minister of War Linas Linkevicius and his Latvian and Estonian colleagues Girtis Valdis Kristovski and Margus Hanson signed a communique on joint actions to control airspace. It provides for close consultations with NATO. Zokniai was mentioned as a “police” airfield. As the center of the common observation system Baltnet, the project of which the three Baltic states have been implementing for several years now, is called Karmelava (Kaunas). Vladimir SKRIPOV, Vilnius |
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