Following today’s meeting of the National Defence Council, President Alar Karis stressed that Estonia must continue undeterred in its support of Poland, Latvia and Lithuania in protecting their borders. “Any attack on their borders is an attack on our own,” the head of state cautioned.
President Karis says it is clear that Lukashenko will continue to fan the flames of the hybrid attack. “The Belarusian regime is attempting to weaponise migrants and has brazenly attacked Polish border infrastructure,” he said. “Since there are thousands of people who, in the full knowledge of the authorities there, have made their way to Belarus expecting to get into Europe, the Belarusians are continuing to push them across the border. We must be prepared for a potential escalation in the situation.”
The head of state remarked that the situation on the border between Belarus and the European Union and NATO presented a security threat to Europe as a whole. “It contravenes international law and is simply inhumane,” he said. “The people who have been driven into a trap on the border are being used to serve the political purposes of the Lukashenko regime. Naturally, neither Estonia nor our allies nor the European Union can back down in the face of such pressure.”
Although the mass arrival of migrants from across the border into Estonia is unlikely at present, President Karis says the state has considered and made preparations in case the number of illegal border crossings grows. “The Prime Minister, the Minister of the Interior and the Minister of Defence gave an overview at our meeting of the preparedness of our agencies,” he explained. “We have assessed a range of possible scenarios and developed a raft of measures that we can implement. Although the situation is tense, I am certain that we are prepared for rapid changes and a variety of scenarios.”
The head of state said that the unanimous decision taken last night by the Member States of the European Union to press ahead with sanctions against Belarus represented a clear stand against the Lukashenko regime. “Those sanctions must be enforced as quickly as possible,” he advised. “We know that sanctions work. Their impact is clear.”
President Karis added that he considers it very important for the European Union to make every diplomatic effort to stop the migration in countries of origin and transit countries of the people being used by Lukashenko in his hybrid attack. “I am gratified that negotiations initiated by the European Union with airlines and countries that are used for transit in flying people to Minsk are showing positive signs,” he said. “It gives us hope that Lukashenko will not be able to continue to act in this way indefinitely. There is also strong political support to resolve the situation from other heads of state and government in Europe.”
The head of state said that Poland, Lithuania and Latvia are Estonia’s neighbours, friends and NATO allies and have its unwavering support. “As such, in NATO too we must pay heightened attention to what is going on and, if necessary, boost NATO’s presence in the region,” he added.
The National Defence Council also spoke about the increased presence of Russian armed forces close to the Ukrainian border. “These unusual movements are very worrying, and we are keeping a close eye on the situation,” President Karis confirmed. “Here as well we must be prepared for rapid and unexpected developments.”
The National Defence Council convened today on the invitation of President Karis to review the worsening situation on the European Union’s border with Belarus due to the hybrid attack being waged by the Lukashenko regime, and the resulting security situation in the region more broadly. Estonia’s actions in preparing for further developments in the crisis and support for its allies were also discussed. Yesterday in Vilnius, President Karis spoke with his Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish counterparts about the deepening crisis and reaffirmed that they have Estonia’s support in whatever form it is needed.
The National Defence Council is an advisory body to the President of the Republic whose sessions are convened as and when required. The members of the council are the President of the Riigikogu, the Prime Minister, the Chairman of the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defence, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of the Interior, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure and the Commander of the Defence Forces. The council discusses key issues from the point of view of national defence and expresses its opinions on these issues.
