Call for the Baltic Sea: A Sea of Peace

To all governments, Members of Parliament and Members of the European Parliament in the Baltic Sea region.

To all environmental and peace institutions in the Baltic Sea region.

CALL FOR THE BALTIC SEA: A SEA OF PEACE

Peace amongst people and protection for the environment!

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!

Baltic Sea region May 2, 2018

• Christer Alm, Miljöringen (Circle for the Environment) – Loviisa, Finland, christer.alm45(at)gmail.com
• Heidi Andersen, Grandmothers for Peace, Oslo group, Norway, bestemodreforfred(at)gmail.com
• Tatyana Artemova, Co-Chairperson of the Association of Environmental Journalists of the Union of Journalists of St. Petersburg and Leningrad region, St. Petersburg, Russia, t.artyomova(at)gmail.com
• Gertrud Åström, Women’s Baltic Peacebuilding  Initiative , Sweden, gertrud.astrom(at)helahut.se
• Lidiya Ivanovna Baykova, Chairperson, Yaroslavl’ regional ecological public organization “Green branch”, Russia, greenbranch(at)yandex.ru
• Irina A. Baranovskaya, Kurgolovo settlement, Kingisepp district, Leningrad region, Russia, ladyforest(at)mail.ru
• Lorenz Gösta Beutin, Member of German Bundestag, Head of Party DIE LINKE. Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, lorenz.beutin(at)bundestag.de
• Claus Biegert, Nuclear Free Future Award Foundation, Germany, c.biegert(at)nffa.de
• Waltraud Bischoff, Frauen wagen Frieden in der Pfalz, Germany, webischoff(at)web.de
• Tord Björk, Activists for peace, Sweden, tord.bjork(at)gmail.com
• Sidsel Bjørneby,  Grandmothers for Peace, Lillehammer group, Norway, sidsel.bjorneby(at)gmail.com     
• Oleg Bodrov, Chairperson of the Public Council of the South Coast of the Gulf of Finland, Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Oblast, Russia, bodrov(at)greenworld.org.ru
• Magret Bonin, Friedensforum Neumünster, Germany, bonins(at)web.de
• Agnieszka FiszkaBorzyszkowska, Polish Ecological Club – East Pomeranian Branch, Poland, agnieszka.fiszka(at)phdstud.ug.edu.pl
• Reiner Braun, Co-President International Peace Bureau (IPB), Germany, Hr.Braun(at)gmx.net
• Ingeborg Breines, former co-president International Peace Bureau, former director UNESCO (in Paris, Islamabad, Geneva), Norway, i.breines(at)gmail.com
• Ida Carlén, Coalition Clean Baltic, Sweden, ida.carlen(at)ccb.se
• Natalia Danilkiv, Green Planet, Russia, defrigesco(at)mail.ru
• 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, drozdov2009(at)gmail.com
• Ivars Dubra, Association “Mēs Zivīm” (We for the Fish), Latvia, meszivim(at)inbox.lv
• Mikhail Durkin, Kaliningrad, Russia, mikhail.durkin(at)ccb.se
• Staffan Ekbom, chair of the Swedish organisation No to Nato, Sweden, ekbom.staffan(at)gmail.com
• Trine Eklund, Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom, Oslo, Norway, t-eklun(at)online.no
• Christiane Feuerstack, Friedensprojekt Ostseeraum, Eckernförde, Germany, christiane(at)feuerstack.net
• Ola Friholt, Chairman, for the Peace Movement of Orust, Sweden, ola.friholt(at)gmail.com    
• Albert F. Garipov, Chairperson of the Antinuclear Society of Tatarstan, Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia, algaraf(at)mail.ru
• Karen Genn, Friedenskreis Eutin, Germany, Kgenn(at)web.de
• Susanne Gerstenberg, Women for Peace, Sweden, susanne.gerstenberg(at)telia.com
• Edmundas Greimas, Lithuanian Fund for Nature, Lithuania, edmundas.g(at)glis.lt
• Dr. Markus Gunkel, Hamburger Forum für Völkerverständigung und weltweite 
  Abrüstung e. V., Germany, hamburger-forum(at)hamburg.de
• Olli-Pekka Haavisto, board member, Friends of the Earth, Finland, ollipekka.haavisto(at)gmail.fi
• Horst Hamm, Nuclear Free Future Award Foundation, Germany, horsthamm(at)t-online.de
• Revd. Antje Heider-Rottwilm, OKRin.i.R., European Ecumenical Network Church and Peace e.V., Germany,  heider-rottwilm(at)church-and-peace.org
• Nils Höglund, Coalition Clean Baltic, Sweden, nils.hoglund(at)ccb.se
• Jens Holm, Member of Parliament, the Committee on Environment and Agriculture, the Committee on European Union Affairs, Left Party, Sweden, jens.holm(at)riksdagen.se
• Ianthe Holmberg, Swedish Women of the Left, Sweden, ianthe.holmberg(at)telia.com
• Frank Hornschu, managing director/chairperson, DGB – German Trade Union Confederation, Kiel region, Germany, Frank.Hornschu(at)dgb.de
• Birgit Hüva, Eesti Roheline Liikumine, Estonia, birgithva(at)gmail.com
• Yuri Ivanov, Apatity, Murmansk region, Russia, yura.ivanov(at)kec.org.ru
• Marina Janssen, Center Of Applied Ecology, Sillamae, Estonia, marijanssenest(at)gmail.com
• Kati Juva, Physicians for Social Responsibility, Finland, katijuva(at)kaapeli.fi
• Elita Kalina, Environmental Protection Club, Latvia,  elita(at)vak.lv
• Alena Karaliova, Human Rights Initiative “Citizen and Army”, Russia, karaliova.alena(at)gmail.com
• Kristine Karch, International Co-ordinating Committee (of “No to War No to NATO”), Germany, kristine(at)kkarch.de
• Veronika Katsova, group of the public support of the Council of the Southern Coast of the Gulf of Finland, Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad region, Russia, katveronika(at)yandex.ru  
• Dilbar N. Klado, the Foundation for the Preservation of the Intellectual Heritage of Alexey V. Yablokov, Moscow, Russia, dilbark(at)mail.ru
• Dr. med. Mechthild Klingenburg-Vogel, Schleswigerstr. 42, 24113 Kiel, Germany, klingenburg-vogel(at)web.de
• Ulla Klötzer, Women Against Nuclear Power, Finland, ullaklotzer(at)yahoo.com
• Kirsti Kolthoff, Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom, Uppsala Branch, Sweden, kihkokhk07 (at)gmail.com
• Natalia Kovaleva, Chairperson of the Board of St. Petersburg Regional Department of the Russian Society of Medical Genetics, St. Petersburg, Russia,  kovalevanv2007(at)yandex.ru
• Elisabeth and Peter Kranz, Das Ökumenische Zentrum für Umwelt-, Friedens- und Eine-Welt-Arbeit, Germany,  p-kranz(at)oekumenischeszentrum.de
• Elena Kruglikova, Apatity, Murmansk region, Russia, elena.kruglikova(at)kec.org.ru
• 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, kuzminna58(at)mail.ru
• Vladimir N. Kuznetsov Chairman Of the Board of Association of Veterans of Ignalina NPP. the city of Visaginas, Lithuania, vladimir(at)tts.lt
• Antonina A. Kulyasova, a regional non-profit partnership “Regional network for sustainable rural development”, the village Tarasovskaya St., Ust’yanskiy district, Arkhangelsk region, Russia, antonina-kulyasova(at)yandex.ru
• Svetlana Kumicheva, NGOGreen Planet; Center for Environment and Tourism, Russia, kumswet(at)yandex.ru
• Anni Lahtinen,  General Secretary,  Committee of 100 in Finland, anni.lahtinen(at)sadankomitea.fi
• Arja Laine, Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom, Finnish section, Finland, wilpf(at)wilpf.fi
• Jördis Land, Friedenskreis Castrop-Rauxel, Germany, j.land(at)pol-oek.de
• Ewa Larsson, Green Women, Sweden, info(at)gronakvinnor.se
• Lizette Lassen, TIME FOR PEACE – active against war, Denmark, tidtilfred(at)tidtilfred.nu
• Lea Launokari, Women for Peace, Finland, lea.launokari(at)nettilinja.fi
• Ekkehard Lentz, Bremer Friedensforum, Germany, Bremer.Friedensforum(at)gmx.de
• Helga Lenze, former teacher, union member (GEW = union for education and science), active peace promoter, Bahrenhof, Germany, helgalenze(at)t-online.de
• Dr. Horst Leps, Lehrer und Lehrbeauftragter für die Didaktik des Politikunterrichts, Hamburg, Germany, horstleps(at)gmx.de
• Vladimir Levchenko, Doctor of Biology, Environmental North-West Line, St. Petersburg, Russia, lew(at)lew.spb.org
• Iryna Lianiuka, ASDEMO (NGO “Association of Children and Youth”), Belarus, lenirina(at)yandex.ru
• Laura Lodenius, Peace Union of Finland, laura.lodenius(at)gmail.com
• Inna Alekseevna Logvinova, the environmental movement “Separate Collection”, Sosnovy Bor, Leningrad Oblast, Russia, inloga(at)mail.ru
• Dominik Marchowski, West Pomeranian Nature Society, Poland, marchowskid(at)gmail.com
• Maria Mårsell, Feministiskt initiativ, Sweden, maria.marsell(at)feministisktinitiativ.se
• Teemu Matinpuro, Finnish Peace Committee, Finland, teemu.matinpuro(at)rauhanpuolustajat.fi
• Janis Matulis, Latvian Green Movement, Latvia, janis.matulis(at)zalie.lv
• Lore and Bernd Meimberg, Friedensforum Lübeck, Germany, LoBeMeimberg(at)t-online.de
• Friedrich Meyer-Stach, peace activist and environmentalist, Fürstenfeldbruck, Germany, f.meyer-stach(at)t-online.de
• Elizaveta Mikhailova, Public Council of the south shore of the Gulf of Finland, Russia, Mikhailova(at)greenworld.org.ru
• Friedensbündnis Karlsruhe/Janine Millington, Germany, Aktive(at)friedensbuendnis-ka.de
• Gennady Mingazov, Chairperson, Kaluga regional branch of the Social and Ecological Union, journalist-ecologist, Russia, gmingazov(at)yandex.ru
• 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, spblvm(at)yandex.ru
• Maxim Nemtchinov, APB BirdLife, Belarus, maxim.n.apb(at)gmail.com
• Sandra Marie Neumann Arvidson, The Danish society for Nature Conservation, Denmark, sandra(at)arvidson.dk
• Ulf Nilsson, County of Kronoberg for peace and non-alliance, Växjö, Sweden, ulf.nilssonguide(at)comhem.se
• Agneta Norberg, Swedish Peace Council, Sweden, lappland.norberg(at)gmail.com
• Elisabeth Nordgren, Swedish Peace friends in Helsinki, Finland, elisabeth.nordgren(at)pp.inet.fi
• Jan Öberg, dr.hc, research director, The Transnational Foundation for Peace & Future Research, TFF, Sweden, janoberg(at)mac.com
• Dr. Christof Ostheimer, Zusammenarbeitsausschuss der Friedensbewegung in Schleswig-Holstein (ZAA-SH), Germany, ostheimer(at)versanet.de
• Andrey Ozharovsky, Moscow, Russia, idc.moscow(at)gmail.com
• Kārlis Ozoliņš, Zaļaiš ceļš (Green way), Riga, Latvia, zalais.cels(at)gmail.com
• Andrey Pakhomenko, Mogilev Environmental Public Association “ENDO”, Belarus, endo(at)tut.by
• Nina Palutskaya, Ecohome/Neman (Neman Environment Group), Belarus, ninija53 (at)gmail.com
• Marion Pancur,  Nuclear Free Future Award Foundation, Germany, info(at)nuclear-free.com
• Federica Pastore, Coalition Clean Baltic, Sweden, federica.pastore(at)ccb.se
• Natalia Porecina, Center for Environmental Solutions, Belarus, vinograd(at)tut.by
• Tomasz Rozwadowski, Polish Ecological Club Eastern Pomerania Branch, Poland, tomasz(at)rozwadowski.info
• 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, greens(at)karelia.ru
• Liss Schanke, Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom, Norway, liss.schanke(at)gmail.com
• Hasse Schneidermann, Fredsministerium/the Danish Ministry of Peace, Denmark, hasse.schneidermann(at)gmail.com
• Micke Seid, Peace Culture Network, Sweden, info(at)fredskultur.se
• Svetlana Semenas, Agro-Eco-Culture, Belarus, lanastut(at)gmail.com
• Alexander Ivanovich Senotrusov, Chairperson of the Military Historical Society “Fort KrasnayaGorka”, Lebyazhye, Lomonosov district, Leningrad Oblast’, Russia, aleksandr-senotrusov(at)yandex.ru
• Olga Senova, Friends of the Baltic, Russia, olga-senova(at)yandex.ru
• Antti Seppänen, Pand – Artists for peace – Finland, pandtalo(at)hotmail.fi
• Sergei Gerasimovich Shapkhaev, the Director of NGO “Buryat Regional Association on Lake Baikal”, Russia, shapsg(at)gmail.com    
• Andrey Shchukin, coordinator of the project “right to alternative” of the Perm   regional branch of the international society “Memorial”, Russia, presidentandrei(at)gmail.com   
• Vladimir Shestakov, a support group of the Public Council of the Southern Coast of the Gulf of Finland, St. Petersburg, Russia, volodyashestakov(at)gmail.com
• Igor Shkradyuk coordinator of the Center for Wildlife Conservation Industry Greening Program, Moscow, Russia, igorshkraduk(at)mail.ru
• Martin Singe, Komitee für Grundrechte und Demokratie, Germany,  martin.singe(at)t-online.de
• Frank Skischus,  Kasseler Friedensforum, Germany,  birmal(at)web.de
• Jakub Skorupski, Poland, jakub(at)gajanet.pl
• Przemysłąw Śmietana, Green Federation “GAIA”, Poland, leptosp(at)gmail.com
• Andrea Söderblom-Tay, Friends of the Earth, Sweden, sofia.hedstrom(at)jordensvanner.se
• Benno Stahn, Kieler Friedensforum, Germany, b.stahn(at)kieler-friedensforum.de
• Joanna Stańczak, West Pomeranian Nature Society, Poland, merkala(at)interia.pl
• Maria Stanislavovna Ruzina, co-Chairperson of the Council of the International Socio-Ecological Union, coordinator of the movement “Spasem Utrish” (Save Utrish), Russia,  utrish2008(at)gmail.com
• Bogna Stawicka, KobieTY.Lodz (Women.Lodz), Poland, bogna.stawicka(at)gmail.com
• Jan Strömdahl, The Peoples’ Movement Against Nuclear Power And Weapons, Sweden, jfstromdahl(at)gmail.com
• 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, oil-project(at)mail.ru
• Andrey Talevlin, candidate of jurisprudence, International Decommission Network, Chelyabinsk, Ural Region, Russia, atalevlin(at)gmail.com
• Andrei Tentyukov, Syktyvkar, Republic of Komi, Russia, atentyukov(at)yandex.com
• Anna Trei, Estonian Green Movement, Estonia, anna(at)roheline.ee
• Yana Ustsinenka, IPO Ecopartnership, Belarus, yanaustsinenka(at)gmail.com
• Karin Utas Carlsson, Fredens Hus Göteborg (the House of Peace Gothenburg), Sweden, karin.utas.carlsson(at)telia.com
• Nikolai Veretennikov, Public Council of the southern coast of the Gulf of Finland, der. Sarkula, Kingisepp district, Leningrad region, Russia, veronti52(at)rambler.ru
• Alexander K. Veselov  Chairperson of the regional public organization “Union of Ecologists of the Republic of Bashkortostan” Ufa, Bashkortostan, Russia, envlaw(at)mail.ru
• Titti Wahlberg, Women´s International League for Peace and Freedom, Gothenburg Branch, Sweden, goteborg(at)ikff.se
• Riitta Wahlström, Technology for Life, Finland, riitta.wahlstrom(at)gmail.com
• Helmut Welk, Friedensnetzwerk Kreis Pinneberg, Germany, helmut.welk(at)premedia-elmshorn.de
• Jutta Wiesenthal, Nuclear Free Future Award Foundation, Germany, juttawiesenthal(at)t-online.de
• Åke Wilen, the Swedish Peace Committee, Sweden, wilenake(at)hotmail.com
• Günter Wippel, uranium-network.org, Germany, gunter.wippel(at)aol.com
• Svyatoslav Zabelin, International Socio-Ecological Union, Moscow, Russia,  svetfrog(at)gmail.com
• Tjan Zaotschnaja, Society for Endangered peoples, the regional group Munich, Germany, tjanzaotschnaja(at)web.de
• 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 (at) mail.ru
• Nikolay Zubov, Krasnoyarsk Regional Ecological Union, Krasnoyarsk, Russia,  nzubov(at)g-service.ru

SUPPORTING SIGNATURES FROM OUTSIDETHE BALTIC SEA AREA:

• Toby Blomé, CODEPINK, San Francisco Bay chapter, USA, ratherbenyckeling(at)comcast.net
• Hildegard Breiner, Nuclear Free Future Award Foundation, Austria, hildegard.breiner(at)aon.at
• Jodie Evans and Medea Benjamin, CODEPINK California, USA, jodie(at)codepink.org
• Cornelia Hesse-Honegagen, Nuclear Free Future Award Foundation, Switzerland, cornelia (at)wissenskunst.ch
• Lyubomyr Klepach, Ukraine, lklepach(at)ecoidea.by
• Dr. David Lowry, Institute for Resource and Security Studies (IRSS), Senior Research Fellow, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, drdavidlowry(at)hotmail.com
• Christian Pierrel, for the PCOF, France, chrispierrel(at)orange.fr
• Alice Slater, World Beyond War, USA, alicejslater(at)gmail.com
• Paul F. Walker, Ph.D. Green Cross International, Washington DC, USA, pwalker(at)globalgreen.org
• Dave Webb, Chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, UK, dave.webb(at)cnduk.org
• Ann Wright, US Army Colonel (Retired) and former US diplomat, Veterans for Peace, USA, annw1946(at)gmail.com