Today and tomorrow, Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Kalev Stoicescu and Deputy Chairman of the Committee Leo Kunnas participate in the annual security and national defence forum of the National Defence Committees of the Parliaments of the Baltic States, the Nordic Countries, Poland and Germany in Berlin, Germany, to discuss strengthening the security of the region.

Stoicescu said that the priorities of defence and security policy in the situation where Russia’s aggression against Ukraine had made the Allies increase their defence spending and strengthen collective defence would be discussed at the meeting of the Chairs of the National Defence Committees. “At the meeting, we will speak about strengthening of NATO deterrence and defence posture, which was agreed upon at the Madrid Summit, as well as preparations for the next Summit that will be held in Vilnius in July. The topics that are important for us include increasing defence spending and investments as well as continuing support to Ukraine,” he explained, and added that Finland’s NATO membership and the upcoming accession of Sweden to the Alliance would also enhance Estonia’s security.

The Chairs of the National Defence Committees of the Parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark as well as Germany and Poland participate in the forum. The forum will be opened by Chair of the Defence Committee of Germany Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann. The participants of the forum will meet with German Deputy Chief of Defence Lieutenant General Markus Laubenthal, Minister of State for Europe at the Foreign Office Anna Lührmann, German Military Representative at NATO and EU Brigadier General Andreas Durst and representatives of the think tank Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik.

Together with Inspector of the German Army Lieutenant General Alfons Mais, the Chairs of defence committees will visit the army training centre in Gardelegen, the Altmark military training area and the military training town Schnöggersburg.

The National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu has held annual working meetings with the National Defence Committees of the Baltic States since 1998. From 2011, the representatives of the National Defence Committees of the of the Nordic Countries as well as Germany and Poland have also been taking part in these meetings.

Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
[email protected]
Questions: [email protected]