President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Lauri Hussar said at the meeting of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly and the Speakers of the national parliaments of the Baltic States in Tallinn, Estonia, today that in order to achieve their common goals, the Baltic States must cooperate even more closely and speak in one voice.
According to Hussar, cooperation between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania has been strong, but in the current international situation, even closer cooperation and solidarity are needed. “To achieve our common goals, it is important that we speak in one voice,” he said.
At the meeting, Hussar emphasized the importance of cross-border strategic connections. According to him, it is important to purposefully complete the construction of Rail Baltica and to finish the Via Baltica as well. He also noted that defending the eastern border was of the utmost importance. “Hybrid threats and provocations originating from Russia need a response,” he said.
Hussar also called for strengthening support for Ukraine. “What we are doing together to support Ukraine is extraordinary, but we must do even more to help Ukraine fight against Russia’s aggression and to convince our allies to increase their support as well,” he said.
In addition, the President of the Riigikogu highlighted the role of parliaments in discussions regarding the use of artificial intelligence. “We cannot allow artificial intelligence to develop on its own. The changes it brings are among the greatest in recent decades. We must be prepared for them, and here our role as national parliaments is very significant,” he said, expressing his satisfaction that this was one of the issues Lithuania intends to focus on next year during its presidency of the Baltic Assembly.
Speaker of the Seimas of Lithuania Juozas Olekas and Speaker of the Saeima of Latvia Daiga Mieriņa are in Tallinn to participate in the 45th Session of the Baltic Assembly that takes place in the Session Hall of the Riigikogu. Today, they also visited Patarei Sea Fortress together with Hussar.
Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)