Dear friends,
It is my great pleasure to greet you all on this important royal occasion. Seven decades of dedication to your nation is something we must all admire. I hope too that younger generations in Estonia and elsewhere are inspired by Her Majesty’s dedication. Service to higher ideals, to helping other people are values we don’t perhaps appreciate enough, compared to followers on Instagram or TikTok.
I am pleased to send my most sincere gratitude and greetings to Her Majesty the Queen for her steadfast service for the good of the nation and tireless efforts to keep her country strong and aligned with the Europe.
Today is also an opportunity to celebrate Estonia’s close friendship with the United Kingdom. We are both strongly committed to defending European values and work side by side as allies in the strongest security alliance in the world ˗ NATO. I wish to express my gratitude for the UK’s contribution to Estonia’s security. Your rapid decision to double the UK presence as Russia attacked Ukraine, sent a powerful message of solidarity, and significantly bolstered our defence.
You have been blessed with the most brilliant Commander in Chief who has shown great wisdom in seven decades. We must and we will continue to work towards a safer world to both our nations.
A few days ago, the Prime Ministers of our two countries committed to further strengthening cooperation on defence and security. UK and Estonia will work together in NATO to strengthen both the forces and command structures committed to the defence of Estonia and other Allies. They will also work together to establish a divisional-level command structure in Estonia. These are important steps towards ensuring a safer world to both our nations.
Perhaps it is appropriate to quote Winston Churchill, Her Majesty’s first Prime Minister: There is only one thing worse than fighting with allies and that is fighting without them.
So let’s stick together, and it could be a good time tonight to use a British military toast: here’s to the Russian fleet – bottoms up!
Once again, my warmest greeting to your Kingdom and God bless the Queen!
