Moscow Calls Tallinn Remarks on Blocking Gulf of Finland for Russian Warships Speculation

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Tallinn's statements that the Estonian-Finnish integration of missile systems will close the Baltic Sea for Russian warships is nothing but a speculation, Sergey Belyaev, the head of the Russian foreign ministry's Second European Department, said in an interview with Sputnik.

"As for the part that such an Estonian-Finnish integration of missile systems will close the bay for Russian warships, I will leave these speculations on the conscience of the head of the Estonian military department. We are no strangers to the militant bravado of representatives of the Baltic states. We will respond to real threats, rather than such populist statements aimed at further confrontation," Belyaev said.

No one can deprive Russia of the status of a Baltic Sea state, the diplomat said, noting that Estonia's statements about turning the Baltic Sea into NATO's "internal sea" are absurd.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said last month that Tallinn and Helsinki are negotiating the creation of a common missile defense system.

The Estonian minister believes that the integration of the Finnish and Estonian missile defense systems makes it possible to "close" the Gulf of Finland for Russian warships.