The Baltic Sea a SEA OF PEACE
The Baltic Sea, our vulnerable inland sea, is one of the most trafficked, fragile and polluted seas in the world. On top of numerous environmental problems, rapidly increasing military threats are present in the Baltic Sea.
In addition to the increasing number of permanent troops in the Baltic Sea Region, the number of war exercises has increased. The number of participants and participating countries has also increased. The nature of the exercises has also changed. Before, mainly crisis management was exercised. Nowadays also heavily armed and well equipped troop clashes are simulated, as well as nuclear warfare. Furthermore, the number of airspace violations and dangerous close by flights escalated in the summer of 2017.
Military exercises that include thousands and even tens of thousands of participants, and that are arranged several times a year by both western countries and Russia, dramatically add to the tensions between the western countries and Russia and contribute to the environmental pollution in the area. The exercises are a threat to world peace and a waste of valuable resources which should be used to tackle existing and future environmental challenges.
Extensive exercises like the ones that took place in 2017; Arctic Challenge, Northern Coast, Aurora and Zapad, may also lead to situations where mistakes happen. Such mistakes can have disastrous consequences.
An additional threat is the modernization of nuclear weapons that according to many war analysts and peace researchers lowers the threshold for their use. On top of the nuclear warheads of Great Britain and France, the U.S. has nuclear warheads positioned in Europe. Russia has nuclear warheads on the Russian mainland and most likely nuclear capable missiles in Kaliningrad.
It must also be taken into consideration that at the coasts of the Baltic Sea there are several nuclear power plants and other nuclear industry complexes posing huge danger in situations of great military stress like big war exercises or situations of conflict or war.
Finally the Baltic Sea is also threatened by heritage from previous wars, amongst others thousands of tons of explosives and chemical weapons that were dumped during World War I, as well as bombs, mines and other war material, estimated to several hundred thousand tons that were dumped after World War II.
We – who have signed this call:
• Call upon all governments in every country around the Baltic Sea to use their financial means to save the Baltic Sea instead of financing armament and other environmentally polluting activities!
• Intend to create debate about the military threats in the Baltic Sea area. We want to engage politicians, peace institutes, peace researchers, artists, well known personalities, non-governmental organizations and socially engaged citizens in the whole Baltic Sea area to take part in our project to make the Baltic Sea a SEA OF PEACE – peace amongst people and protection for the environment!
Christer Alm, Miljöringen (Circle for the Environment) – Loviisa, Finland, [email protected]
Heidi Andersen, Grandmothers for Peace, Oslo group, Norway, [email protected]
Tatyana Artemova, Co-Chairperson of the Association of Environmental Journalists of the Union of Journalists of St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, St. Petersburg, Russia, [email protected]
Gertrud Åström, Women’s Baltic Peacebuilding Initiative , Sweden, [email protected]
Lidiya Ivanovna Baykova, Chairperson, Yaroslavl’ regional ecological public organization “Green branch”, Russia, [email protected]
Irina A. Baranovskaya, Kurgolovo settlement, Kingisepp district, Leningrad region, Russia, [email protected]
Lorenz Gösta Beutin, Member of German Bundestag, Head of Party DIE LINKE. Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, [email protected]
Claus Biegert, Nuclear Free Future Award Foundation, Germany, [email protected]
Waltraud Bischoff, Frauen wagen Frieden in der Pfalz, Germany, [email protected]
Tord Björk, Activists for peace, Sweden, [email protected]
Sidsel Bjørneby, Grandmothers for Peace, Lillehammer group, Norway, [email protected]
Oleg Bodrov, Chairperson of the Public Council of the South Coast of the Gulf of Finland, Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Oblast, Russia, [email protected]
Magret Bonin, Friedensforum Neumünster, Germany, [email protected]
Agnieszka FiszkaBorzyszkowska, Polish Ecological Club – East Pomeranian Branch, Poland, [email protected]
Reiner Braun, Co-President International Peace Bureau (IPB), Germany, [email protected]
Ingeborg Breines, former co-president International Peace Bureau, formerdirector UNESCO (in Paris, Islamabad, Geneva), Norway, [email protected]
Ida Carlén, Coalition Clean Baltic, Sweden, [email protected]
Natalia Danilkiv, Green Planet, Russia, [email protected]
Alexander Drozdov, leading researcher at the Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Professor at the Russian International Academy of Tourism, Deputy editor-in-chief of the journal “Environmental Planning and Management”, scientific consultant of the movement “save Utrish”, Russia, [email protected]
Ivars Dubra, Association “Mēs Zivīm” (We for the Fish), Latvia, [email protected]
Mikhail Durkin, Kaliningrad, Russia, [email protected]
Staffan Ekbom, chair of the Swedish organisation No to Nato, Sweden, [email protected]
Trine Eklund, Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom, Oslo, Norway, [email protected]
Christiane Feuerstack, Friedensprojekt Ostseeraum, Eckernförde, Germany, [email protected]
Ola Friholt, Chairman, for the Peace Movement of Orust, Sweden, [email protected]
Albert F. Garipov, Chairperson of the Antinuclear Society of Tatarstan, Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, [email protected]
Karen Genn, Friedenskreis Eutin, Germany, [email protected]
Susanne Gerstenberg, Women for Peace, Sweden, [email protected]
Edmundas Greimas, Lithuanian Fund for Nature, Lithuania, [email protected]
Dr. Markus Gunkel, Hamburger Forum für Völkerverständigung und weltweite Abrüstung e. V., Germany, [email protected]
Olli-Pekka Haavisto, board member, Friends of the Earth, Finland, [email protected]
Horst Hamm, Nuclear Free Future Award Foundation, Germany, [email protected]
Revd. Antje Heider-Rottwilm, OKRin.i.R., European Ecumenical Network Church and Peace e.V., Germany, [email protected]
Nils Höglund, Coalition Clean Baltic, Sweden, [email protected]
Jens Holm, Member of Parliament, the Committee on Environment and Agriculture, the Committee on European Union Affairs, Left Party, Sweden, [email protected]
Ianthe Holmberg, Swedish Women of the Left, Sweden, [email protected]
Frank Hornschu, managing director/chairperson, DGB – German Trade Union Confederation, Kiel region, Germany, [email protected]
Birgit Hüva, Eesti Roheline Liikumine, Estonia, [email protected]
Yuri Ivanov, Apatity, Murmansk region, Russia, [email protected]
Marina Janssen, Center Of Applied Ecology, Sillamae, Estonia, [email protected]
Kati Juva, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Finland, [email protected]
Elita Kalina, Environmental Protection Club, Latvia, [email protected]
Alena Karaliova, Human Rights Initiative “Citizen and Army”, Russia, [email protected]
Kristine Karch, International Co-ordinating Committee (of “No to War No to NATO”), Germany, [email protected]
Veronika Katsova, group of the public support of the Council of the Southern Coast of the Gulf of Finland, Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad region, Russia, [email protected]
Dilbar N. Klado, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Intellectual Heritage of Alexey V. Yablokov, Moscow, Russia, [email protected]
Dr. med. Mechthild Klingenburg-Vogel, Schleswigerstr. 42, 24113 Kiel, Germany, [email protected]
Ulla Klötzer, Women Against Nuclear Power, Finland, [email protected]
Kirsti Kolthoff, Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom, Uppsala Branch, Sweden, kihkokhk07 @gmail.com
Natalia Kovaleva, Chairperson of the Board of St. Petersburg Regional Department of the Russian Society of Medical Genetics, St. Petersburg, Russia, [email protected]
Elisabeth and Peter Kranz, Das Ökumenische Zentrum für Umwelt-, Friedens- und Eine-Welt-Arbeit, Germany, [email protected]
Elena Kruglikova, Apatity, Murmansk region, Russia, [email protected]
Nikolay Alekseevich Kuzmin, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Ecology and Nature Management of the Legislative Assembly of the Leningrad Region, Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Region, Russia, [email protected]
Vladimir N. Kuznetsov Chairman Of the Board of Association of Veterans of Ignalina NPP. the city of Visaginas, Lithuania, [email protected]
Antonina A. Kulyasova, a regional non-profit partnership “Regional network for sustainable rural development”, the village Tarasovskaya St., Ust’yanskiy district, Arkhangelsk region, Russia, [email protected]
Svetlana Kumicheva, NGOGreen Planet; Center for Environment and Tourism, Russia, [email protected]
Anni Lahtinen, General Secretary, Committee of 100 in Finland, [email protected]
Arja Laine, Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom, Finnish section, Finland, [email protected]
Jördis Land, Friedenskreis Castrop-Rauxel, Germany, [email protected]
Ewa Larsson, Green Women, Sweden, [email protected]
Lizette Lassen, TIME FOR PEACE – active against war, Denmark, [email protected]
Lea Launokari, Women for Peace, Finland, [email protected]
Ekkehard Lentz, Bremer Friedensforum, Germany, [email protected]
Helga Lenze, former teacher, union member (GEW = union for education and science), active peace promoter, Bahrenhof, Germany, [email protected]
Dr. Horst Leps, Lehrer und Lehrbeauftragter für die Didaktik desPolitikunterrichts, Hamburg, Germany, [email protected]
Vladimir Levchenko, Doctor of Biology, Environmental North-West Line, St. Petersburg, Russia, [email protected]
Iryna Lianiuka, ASDEMO (NGO “Association of Children and Youth”), Belarus, [email protected]
Laura Lodenius, Peace Union of Finland, [email protected]
Inna Alekseevna Logvinova, the environmental movement “Separate Collection”, Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Oblast, Russia, [email protected]
Dominik Marchowski, West Pomeranian Nature Society, Poland, [email protected]
Maria Mårsell, Feministiskt initiativ, Sweden, [email protected]
Teemu Matinpuro, Finnish Peace Committee, Finland, [email protected]
Janis Matulis, Latvian Green Movement, Latvia, [email protected]
Lore and Bernd Meimberg, Friedensforum Lübeck, Germany, [email protected]
Friedrich Meyer-Stach, peace activist and environmentalist, Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany, [email protected]
Elizaveta Mikhailova, Public Council of the south shore of the Gulf of Finland, Russia, [email protected]
Friedensbündnis Karlsruhe/Janine Millington, Germany, [email protected]
Gennady Mingazov, Chairperson, Kaluga regional branch of the Social and Ecological Union, journalist-ecologist, Russia, [email protected]
Lev V. Min’kov, support group of the Public Council of the Southern Coast of the Gulf of Finland, village Sarkulya, Kingisepp district, Leningrad region, Russia, [email protected]
Maxim Nemtchinov, APB BirdLife, Belarus, [email protected]
Sandra Marie Neumann Arvidson, The Danish society for Nature Conservation, Denmark, [email protected]
Ulf Nilsson, County of Kronoberg for peace and non-alliance, Växjö, Sweden, [email protected]
Agneta Norberg, Swedish Peace Council, Sweden, [email protected]
Elisabeth Nordgren, Swedish Peace friends in Helsinki, Finland, [email protected]
Jan Öberg, dr.hc, research director, The Transnational Foundation for Peace & Future Research, TFF, Sweden, [email protected]
Dr. Christof Ostheimer, Zusammenarbeitsausschuss der Friedensbewegung in Schleswig-Holstein (ZAA-SH), Germany, [email protected]
Andrey Ozharovsky,Moscow, Russia, [email protected]
Kārlis Ozoliņš, Zaļaiš ceļš (Green way), Riga, Latvia, [email protected]
Andrey Pakhomenko, Mogilev Environmental Public Association “ENDO”, Belarus, [email protected]
Nina Palutskaya, Ecohome/Neman (Neman Environment Group), Belarus, ninija53 @gmail.com
Marion Pancur, Nuclear Free Future Award Foundation, Germany, [email protected]
Federica Pastore, Coalition Clean Baltic, Sweden, [email protected]
Natalia Porecina, Center for Environmental Solutions, Belarus, [email protected]
Tomasz Rozwadowski, Polish Ecological Club Eastern Pomerania Branch, Poland, [email protected]
Dmitry Rybakov, coordinator of Karelian regional public organization “Association of Green Karelia”, Chairperson of the Public Ecological Council of Petrozavodsk city district, Honorary scientist of Europe, Russia, [email protected]
Liss Schanke, Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom, Norway, [email protected]
Hasse Schneidermann, Fredsministerium/the Danish Ministry of Peace, Denmark, [email protected]
Micke Seid, Peace Culture Network, Sweden, [email protected]
Svetlana Semenas, Agro-Eco-Culture, Belarus, [email protected]
Alexander Ivanovich Senotrusov, Chairperson of the Military Historical Society “Fort KrasnayaGorka”, Lebyazhye, Lomonosov district, Leningrad Oblast’, Russia,
[email protected]
Olga Senova, Friends of the Baltic, Russia, [email protected]
Antti Seppänen, Pand – Artists for peace – Finland, [email protected]
Sergei Gerasimovich Shapkhaev, the Director of NGO “Buryat Regional Association on Lake Baikal”, Russia, [email protected]
Andrey Shchukin, coordinator of the project “right to alternative” of the Perm regional branch of the international society “Memorial”, Russia, [email protected]
Vladimir Shestakov, a support group of the Public Council of the Southern Coast of the Gulf of Finland, St. Petersburg, Russia, [email protected]
Igor Shkradyuk coordinator of the Center for Wildlife Conservation Industry Greening Program, Moscow, Russia, [email protected]
Martin Singe, Komitee für Grundrechte und Demokratie, Germany, [email protected]
Frank Skischus, Kasseler Friedensforum, Germany, [email protected]
Jakub Skorupski, Poland, [email protected]
Przemysłąw Śmietana, Green Federation “GAIA”, Poland, [email protected]
Andrea Söderblom-Tay, Friends of the Earth, Sweden, [email protected]
Benno Stahn, Kieler Friedensforum, Germany, [email protected]
Joanna Stańczak, West Pomeranian Nature Society, Poland, [email protected]
Maria Stanislavovna Ruzina, co-Chairperson of the Council of the International Socio-Ecological Union, coordinator of the movement “Spasem Utrish” (Save Utrish), Russia, [email protected]
Bogna Stawicka, KobieTY.Lodz (Women.Lodz), Poland, [email protected]
Jan Strömdahl, The Peoples’ Movement Against Nuclear Power And Weapons, Sweden, [email protected]
Alexander Nikolayevich Sutyagin, Head of “Project “Monitoring BPS””, Association of Environmental Journalists the Union of Journalists of Saint-Petersburg and Leningrad region, Saint-Petersburg, Russia, [email protected]
Andrey Talevlin, candidate of jurisprudence, International Decommission Network, Chelyabinsk, Ural Region, Russia, [email protected]
Andrei Tentyukov, Syktyvkar, Republic of Komi, Russia, [email protected]
Anna Trei, Estonian Green Movement, Estonia, [email protected]
Yana Ustsinenka, IPO Ecopartnership, Belarus, [email protected]
Karin Utas Carlsson, Fredens Hus Göteborg (the House of Peace Gothenburg), Sweden, [email protected]
Nikolai Veretennikov, Public Council of the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, der. Sarkula, Kingisepp district, Leningrad region, Russia, [email protected]
Alexander K. Veselov Chairperson of the regional public organization “Union of Ecologists of the Republic of Bashkortostan” Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia, [email protected]
Titti Wahlberg, Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom, Gothenburg Branch, Sweden, [email protected]
Riitta Wahlström, Technology for Life, Finland, [email protected]
Helmut Welk, Friedensnetzwerk Kreis Pinneberg, Germany, [email protected]
Jutta Wiesenthal, Nuclear Free Future Award Foundation, Germany, [email protected]
Åke Wilen, the Swedish Peace Committee, Sweden, [email protected]
Günter Wippel, uranium-network.org, Germany, [email protected]
Svyatoslav Zabelin, International Socio-Ecological Union, Moscow, Russia, [email protected]
Tjan Zaotschnaja, Society for Endangered peoples, the regional group Munich, Germany, [email protected]
Lina Zernova, Co-Chairperson of the Association of Environmental Journalists of the Union of Journalists of St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, Sosnovy Bor, Russia, linazernova @ mail.ru
Nikolay Zubov, Krasnoyarsk Regional Ecological Union, Krasnoyarsk, Russia, [email protected]
SUPPORTING SIGNATURES FROM OUTSIDETHE BALTIC SEA AREA:
Toby Blomé, CODEPINK, San Francisco Bay chapter, USA, [email protected]
Hildegard Breiner, Nuclear Free Future Award Foundation, Austria, [email protected]
Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK California, USA, [email protected]
Cornelia Hesse-Honegagen, Nuclear Free Future Award Foundation, Switzerland,
cornelia @wissenskunst.ch
Lyubomyr Klepach, Ukraine, [email protected]
Dr. David Lowry, Institute for Resource and Security Studies (IRSS), Senior Research Fellow, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, [email protected]
Christian Pierrel, for the PCOF, France, [email protected]
Alice Slater, World Beyond War, USA, [email protected]
Paul F. Walker, Ph.D. Green Cross International, Washington DC, USA, [email protected]
Dave Webb, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, UK, [email protected]
Ann Wright, US Army Colonel (Retired) and former US diplomat, Veterans for Peace, USA, [email protected]
