I am delighted to welcome my new colleague Edgars, from our wonderful neighbouring country, in Tallinn, first time here as a President! We are honoured that you chose Tallinn as your first destination.
Your 12-year service as the Foreign Minister is extraordinary. I applaud to everyone who can name all your Estonian colleagues over the past 12 years.
Many experiences bind us, I would start with the most pleasant one. This summer, both Estonia and Latvia hosted song festivals. Music is very close to our hearts.
We are also working on other binding experiences, hoping to build more connections in the energy field, transportation and digital infrastructure. As you all know, Rail Baltic is very important project for us. A stronger collaborative approach than before and common voice in Brussels are needed to advance the project, especially in the current geopolitical situation.
The new energy grid is planned to connect Estonia and Latvia, it should be completed by February 2025. This will help us to mitigate the risk of desynchronization Baltic grids.
Additionally, we invest in green energy. Few years ago, we launched our joint offshore wind project ELWIND. Through this cross-border project, we can elevate cooperation in the energy field to new heights, increasing energy and climate neutrality, as well as energy security in the region. We also need robust and intelligent connections to integrate powerful offshore farms into the grid and enhance electricity trade between Estonia and Latvia.
In the midst of this beautiful summer, unfortunately, we must still keep our focus on the Russia´s war in Ukraine. All NATO allies are steadfast in supporting Ukraine and this message will resound at the upcoming Summit in Vilnius. We also expect that Ukraine’s future in NATO will be reaffirmed along with laying a path towards that goal. NATO and collective defence embodied in article 5 remains the only true security guarantee.
We are pleased that our northern neighbour Finland will be placed next to Estonia at the summit and hope that accession of Sweden will be completed as soon as possible. The accession of Finland and Sweden benefits the security of the whole Alliance.
At Vilnius, we will also make important decisions that will step up our deterrence and defence posture and agree on higher ambition on defence spending. More resources are needed to meet the threats and challenges stemming from deteriorating security environment caused by Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine.
Another very important topic for both of us is accountability. Russia's political and military leadership must be held accountable for the crime of aggression. The crime of aggression is a concern for the international community as a whole, not just Ukraine.
Ukraine's determination to pursue EU-related reforms despite Russia's ongoing military aggression is remarkable. I have witnessed this in my recent visit to Kyiv.
Cooperation between like-minded Member States will be crucial in the coming months to ensure that Ukraine follows through with reforms, and that the EU responds positively when Ukraine achieves progress. The EU should make the decision to initiate accession negotiations by the end of this year if Ukraine has taken the necessary steps.
During these extremely turbulent times, Estonian-Latvian defence cooperation is very good, it is more effective than ever before. We have learned how to cooperate better, how to organize joint procurements, and how to help each other.
Last but not least, I am very pleased that our bilateral and regional cooperation is very active. I have fond memories from my very recent state visit to Latvia. This year Estonia is leading the Baltic cooperation, and therefore, it is a great honour to host my Baltic colleagues in Estonia in the end of the year.
Looking forward to our fruitful cooperation, dear Edgars, wishing you good luck and all the success in your new assignment!
