Eight days ago I was with my Polish and Baltic counterparts in Kyiv. Before we stepped off the train, our bodyguards asked us to put on bulletproof vests and to take helmets with us as we got into our cars. Does that mean I have found myself in the midst of war?
No, but I have been in a country at war. And I now know the devastating grimace that war produces when you see children playing among the bombed-out debris of their homes and exhausted rescue workers searching for bodies among the ruins so that they can be buried by their loved ones.
Our veterans, whose contribution tomorrow marks, know what an explosion smells like, the scent of blood and fear, just as they know how deafening the silence that follows a battle can be. It could be described as a state of utter speechlessness, since that is how the Ukrainian soldiers stood alongside the shattered Russian tanks in Irpin, just outside of Kyiv, when we visited them last week.
Estonian armed forces and their NATO allies have been serving together on foreign missions since 1995, including on very dangerous operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and most recently in Mali. These are not someone else’s wars, but our own. Why? Because contributing to those fights makes war on Estonian soil as unlikely as it is possible to be. This way, our soldiers will hopefully never have to face battle in Narva or Tallinn, in Tartu or Pärnu. This way, our allies see our willingness to contribute, they see the skills we have to offer, and they come to trust in both. This way, our national defence is reinforced.
You all know first-hand what it means to be allies and brothers-in-arms. This is also known by those to whom we are bound by NATO’s Article 5 and who will come to help us if we need it, just as we helped them.
Our soldiers are brave, inventive and tenacious. Your comrades from the United Kingdom, the United States, France and many other countries have said you can always place your trust in an Estonian soldier, in any situation.
But all of this comes at a price, and that price is one you, our Defence Forces personnel, have paid. Thirty-seven (37) lives lost in the line of duty is a difficult number for such a small country to face.
This tragic list starts with Sergeant First Class Aleksander Mjazin. It continues with Staff Sergeant Andres Nuiamäe. Then Master Sergeant Arre Illenzeer. Sergeant Kalle Torn. Sergeant (Junior) Jako Karuks. Master Sergeant Ivar Brok. Sergeant First Class Allain Tikko.
Sergeant First Class Eerik Salmus. Sergeant Raivis Kang. Sergeant (Junior) Kristjan Jalakas. Sergeant (Junior) Herdis Sikka. Corporal Agris Hutrof.
These 12 young men all lost their lives on the battlefield on foreign missions. But alongside them it would only be right to mention Corporals Aare Viirmaa and Rivo Ekbaum, both from ESTCOY-8, for whom the war raged on in their minds after they returned home and who made the decision themselves to join their fallen comrades.
I am thinking of them today as I think of all those who have died in the line of duty, as well as the eighty (80) Estonian veterans who have been permanently injured.
In marking Veterans Day, Estonia recognises everyone who has gone through fire and water, and more besides, in fighting for our independence. We acknowledge everything you have been through; all of your victories and your losses.
In our thoughts and deeds we are with those who remember those they have lost, with the family members who stand alongside our veterans and support those whose health has been affected. For as long as there is a Republic of Estonia, you will always have our gratitude.
As such, veterans and their families must come first for our country, in every sense. We must ensure the best possible support and social guarantees for those injured. We must provide families who have lost loved ones with everything they need to cope. We must offer not only psychological support to veterans who need it, but also retraining. And we must help the injured reorganise their lives according to their needs. It is incumbent on us as a nation not to leave our veterans and their families to deal with their problems on their own.
Veterans, it is my great honour to be with you here today and to stand shoulder to shoulder with you in marking our tenth Veterans Day. Estonia is proud of you.
I thank you all for your service. May everyone who serves in our Defence Forces be blessed with good fortune, and may everyone else enjoy a peaceful spring.
