President Karis noted that although the Baltic States are increasing their defence spending and developing their defence industries, this alone is not enough if production capacity is lacking. “Boosting spending without effective and sufficient production being in place in our region would simply lead to higher prices or excessive dependence on imports,” the head of state cautioned. “The Baltic States need a defence industry that is capable of supporting and maintaining the technology they buy in, and of developing products for global export.”
The need for closer cooperation between countries and defence companies was also stressed. “In a world where technology is becoming ever more sophisticated, and is doing so rapidly, the defence industry must have what it takes to stay ahead of the game and develop solutions that will meet future needs,” President Karis said. “Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine shows just how quickly warfare is evolving and the significant role that new technologies are playing.”
The head of state added that while Estonia and Lithuania are well placed for defence industry growth, success in this area also depends on cooperation. “Working together will allow us to compete in larger tenders that we would find very difficult to gain access to on our own,” he posited.
President Karis expressed his hope that the business forum would help find a way to make their countries bigger and stronger through industrial cooperation.
As part of the event, the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industries Association and the Lithuanian Defence and Securities Industry Association signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to foster partnerships within the defence industry, while the CR14 Foundation and the Lithuanian Association of Cyber Security Experts agreed to work together to strengthen cyber defence, and KappaZeta and the Forest 4.0 Centre of Excellence signed an agreement to develop remote forest monitoring.
The Estonian business delegation comprised representatives of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industries Association, the Estonian Chamber of Commerce in Lithuania, TRINITI Law Office/TRINITI JUREX Lithuania, Auve Tech, the BLRT Group, CR14, Dambis Estonia, DefSecIntel Solutions, Dipperfox, GoSwift, HexTech Solutions, KappaZeta, Marduk Technologies, Neverhack Estonia, Nitrotol, Nortal, Primend, RiskSight, SK ID Solutions, Skinest Rail, Spaceit, Zircon, Toci, the Mootor Group and the Go Group.
Gallery (Office of the President/Raigo Pajula): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCR7hr
