MOSCOW, March 13. /TASS/. Russian Presidential Aide and Chairman of the Maritime Board Nikolay Patrushev, in an interview with the National Defense magazine, reminded Helsinki that the Gulf of Finland is not its property and that all states are required to comply with the principles of international maritime law.
Thus, he responded to the plans of Helsinki and Tallinn to block Russia's exit from the Gulf of Finland.
"We shall remind the Finns that the Gulf of Finland is not owned by any country. Adherence to the norms of international maritime law is the obligation of all states," Patrushev said.
According to him, this is also true from a historical perspective. "Historically, the bay was called Varangian Sea, Kotlin Lake, Kronstadt Bay, indicating its geographical connection to Russia. We should also consider that Finland was part of the Russian Empire for a century," the presidential aide emphasized.
Patrushev also highlighted that Russia has always been a multinational country that respects the traditions and cultures of all peoples living on its territory, including Finns. He added that in the Russian Empire, Finland was granted considerable autonomy with the establishment of the Grand Duchy of Finland, where the Finnish language was revived and preserved. "By the way, Russians in the imperial era willingly settled in Finland. For example, March 21 will mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the naval officer and renowned Russian inventor Alexander Fedorovich Mozhaysky. He was born in the Russian Empire, in the town of Rochensalm, which is now part of Finland," the aide concluded.