“I am very pleased to welcome Alexander Stubb back to Estonia, now as the President of Finland,” said Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. “We face many common challenges as border countries of the EU and NATO, and the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO has expanded our opportunities to cooperate in the area of defence and security. We were also able to discuss preparations for the NATO Summit in Washington and the peace summit in Switzerland. When neighbours join forces, they can achieve more.”
Kallas noted that the defence cooperation between Estonia and Finland is excellent and that together with Sweden, it is important to prioritise cooperation at sea, especially in the Gulf of Finland. The Estonian prime minister also stressed that together, we must persuade our allies and partners to do more to find the money for defence investments. “For NATO’s new defence plans to be fully supported by critical capabilities and reserves, it is necessary for all allies to step up their efforts,” said Kallas. “In the European Union, too, our priority is to increase our defence readiness.”
The Estonian prime minister and the Finnish president also highlighted the need to jointly strengthen energy security and undersea infrastructure. They also discussed how to counter Russia’s hybrid attacks, including migratory pressure, and to enhance the impact of international sanctions against Russia. “Here, border countries could set an example for the rest of the European Union. For example, the agreement between our customs authorities, which allows us to better combat the circumvention of sanctions, proves that regional measures work,” said Kallas.
The Estonian prime minister and the Finnish president agreed that support for Ukraine must be pursued vigorously. Kallas stressed that both NATO and the European Union must send a clear signal that Ukraine’s accession to these organisations is progressing. Kallas also introduced to Stubb the act recently adopted by the Riigikogu, which allows the use of Russia’s frozen assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine, and expressed hope that a solution will be found quickly at the level of the European Union and G7.
Photo: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBsabR
