Estonia wishes to continue cooperation of defence forces with Great Britain in new forms
Estonia and the United Kingdom wish to continue close cooperation of defence forces and to look for new forms therefor – this was the conclusion of the joint meeting in the Riigikogu today between the Foreign Affairs Committee and the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu and General Nicholas Houghton, the Chief of the Defence Staff of the British Armed Forces.
“We have been in a serious conflict hotspot in Afghanistan together with Brits which has laid a solid basis for our cooperation. Today we are working on new forms to preserve the valuable experience we acquired as brothers in arms in the Afghanistan crisis and to ensure that the close cooperation of our defence forces would continue after 2014,” the Chairman of the National Defence Committee Mati Raidma said.
The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson said that wider development of bilateral relations and the search for new cooperation opportunities is important for both Estonia and Great Britain. This is testified by having an expert from Great Britain in the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence and the participation of Brits in the military training exercises Kevadtorm (Spring Storm).
Other topics discussed at the meeting included the future of the NATO, defence budgets of the countries and the end of the ISAF mission in Afghanistan in 2014.
The Riigikogu Press Service
15 October 2013
