At the 45th Session of the Baltic Assembly, held today in Tallinn, Estonia, members of the parliaments of the three Baltic States adopted a Resolution in which they emphasized, among other things, that the 35th anniversary of the Baltic Assembly was a testament to the unity and determination of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, but it must also be reiterated that this anniversary was marked by profound geopolitical uncertainty, and they urged the member states of the European Union and NATO to strengthen all necessary support for Ukraine.
President of the Baltic Assembly (BA) and Head of the Estonian Delegation Timo Suslov, who chaired the session, said that when Estonia assumed the Presidency of the BA last year, it was agreed to enhance the common voice of the Baltic states and strengthen the region’s unity and resilience. “Our motto is: ‘Unity through connectivity, progress through partnership.’ This simple yet powerful idea has guided us throughout the year, but it is more than just a motto. It reflects the true essence of Baltic cooperation,” he said, highlighting in particular the work done in the areas of security and connectivity. “We have worked together to strengthen the Baltic Defence Line, improve military mobility, develop the defence industry, and respond to hybrid threats. We have also deepened our cooperation in the areas of defence research, training, and new technologies,” he noted, adding that the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly had recently agreed to move forward with a new initiative, the formation of a Baltic defence cooperation cluster, which would create a structural platform for cooperation in the fields of policy, defence, capability development and industry. The future of Baltic defence cooperation was also in the focus of the BA during today’s session.
President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Lauri Hussar said at the opening of the Session that the cooperation between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania was excellent, but today we must acknowledge that, in the face of Russia’s ongoing war of aggression, we were confronting an even more complicated international situation and greater threats than we did when we became free from occupation. “We have spoken about this at our meetings of the past four years, and we must keep talking about this also today, the fifth year,” he noted. President of the Riigikogu said that, for the last year, we had faced even more violent information and other non-military attacks against ourselves, including influencing operations, spreading false information, irresponsible threats, and also migration and sabotage attacks – in other words, terrorism across the whole Europe. “How long will we wait? We need to answer this. This is not petty crime where a stern talking-to of the misguided culprit suffices. This is intentional activity directed against us. It is good that our first step was to clearly say who was behind these actions and have attributed these to a named perpetrator. We need to go further. Every crime must be followed by a response,” he emphasised.
Hussar also highlighted the need to complete the construction of Rail Baltic. “I must underline that although its date of completion is shifting further, it must eventually be built. We must do it. To achieve this, we must set up the relevant plans, ensure funding and continue with the work. There can be no excuses. This is a demand of our economic development as well as guaranteeing our security,” the President of the Riigikogu said to the members of Baltic parliaments.
The Baltic Council, the cooperation assembly of the governments and the parliaments of the Baltic States, also held its session today. Representative of Estonia in the Baltic Council of Ministers, Minister of the Interior of Estonia Igor Taro pointed out at the session of the Baltic Council that together we were protecting the external border of the European Union and the Schengen Area against migration attacks. “We must protect our critical infrastructure, strengthen our energy independence, and ensure the functioning of vital supply chains, including food and water supplies,” Taro said. “By improving readiness, sharing information, and coordinating crisis response, we can better protect our society and economy against external pressures,” Estonia’s Minister of the Interior added. After the Session, the Joint Statement was signed.
At the end of the BA Session, the Resolution was adopted and the Final Document was signed. The BA budget and working plan for the next year were also adopted. Estonia passed the presidency of the Baltic Assembly and the Baltic Council of Ministers on to Lithuania. New President of the BA Giedrius Drukteinis addressed the Assembly and introduced the priorities of the Lithuanian presidency.
Photos(Erik Peinar, Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
Resolution of the 45th Session (PDF, 236 kB)
Final Document (PDF, 132 kB)
Joint Statement of the Baltic Council (PDF, 166 kB)