Baltic Nations Concerned About Russian Ship Deal
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Published: 27 Nov 2009 13:02
RIGA, Latvia - Concerns mounted Nov. 27 in the ex-Soviet bloc over France's considering the sale of a warship to Russia, as Latvia joined Baltic neighbors Lithuania and Estonia in pressing Paris for an explanation.
"France is our strategic EU and NATO partner, and we hope France will make an appropriate decision," Latvian foreign ministry spokesman Rets Plesums told AFP.
Senior Latvian defense ministry aide Airis Rikveilis told the Baltic News Service that Riga was planning "serious consultations" with NATO on the issue.
Moscow is in talks to buy a French-made helicopter-carrier assault vessel along with a license to produce at least four others, and the possible purchase is part of the agenda during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's Nov. 27 visit to Paris.
French Prime Minister Francois Fillon said Nov. 27 the government is studying the Russian request for the warship, adding that "France is open to this cooperation with Russia."
Earlier this week, Lithuania and Estonia pressed Paris to explain whether Russia was being offered a ship with top military technology.
The Baltic states often raise concerns about Moscow's growing assertiveness and suggest some west European allies are failing to take their worries seriously.
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia won freedom from the crumbling Soviet bloc in 1991, five decades after being taking over by Moscow during World War II. Their relations with Russia are often rocky, notably since they joined the EU and NATO in 2004.
The ship on offer is the same class as the Mistral, a 21,000-ton, 650-foot (200-meter) amphibious assault ship that can carry heavy-lift helicopters, landing craft, tanks and up to 900 commandos. It is the second largest vessel in the French fleet.
"Without any doubt, by purchasing such a ship and deploying it in the Baltic Sea, Russia's armed forces would gain additional capabilities both in terms of speed and range," Rikveilis told BNS.
Critics say the planned deal comes too soon after Moscow's 2008 war with pro-Western, ex-Soviet Georgia - which highlighted a lack of such craft in its Black Sea fleet - as well as recent Russian exercises near the Baltic states.
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