President Karis noted that Belgium was the first country to police Estonian skies after Estonia joined NATO – a task it has undertaken repeatedly many times since, from bases here in Estonia and in Lithuania. “Even now we know, looking up at the sky, that Belgian air force fighters are keeping our air space safe,” he said. “I am also very pleased that Belgium is involved in the work of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence.”
In discussing the tense security situation in Europe, the Estonian head of state and the Belgian head of government agreed that the continued build-up of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border was a cause for great concern. President Karis says Estonia considers it very important that its Western allies are prepared to reinforce NATO’s defence and deterrence readiness by sending additional forces to the alliance’s eastern flank, including the Baltic States.
President Karis stressed that a diplomatic solution should be sought to the current situation and that NATO must adopt a united front in order to achieve this. “We will not make any compromises on the basis on which the alliance operates, and we cannot allow Russia’s military threats to chip away at NATO’s unity or alter the security architecture of Europe,” he stated. “We must never forget that the security of one ally is an integral part of the security of us all.”
The Estonian head of state added that wide-ranging, hard-hitting sanctions must be prepared in the event that Russia goes on the military offensive once again in Ukraine.
President Karis and Prime Minister De Croo also spoke at length about the green transition, how their countries are coping with the coronavirus crisis and opportunities for closer cooperation between Estonia and Belgium in trade, IT, cybersecurity and the establishment of renewable energy solutions.
