On 15–16 January, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna took part in the high-level foreign and security policy conference Snow Meeting in Vilnius, where he spoke in a panel discussion focused on Nordic-Baltic cooperation. In addition, bilateral meetings took place in Vilnius with the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Türkiye and Romania, as well as with the leader of Belarus’s democratic forces.
“The Nordic and Baltic countries collectively have a very strong leverage, stemming from our 33 million people, our position together as the world’s 10th largest economy, and the fact that we speak with one voice on the most important foreign and security policy issues in the world,” Tsahkna said during the panel discussion “Staying Frosty: Nordic-Baltic Role in Beefing up NATO”.
The foreign minister stressed that this year Estonia holds the chairmanship of the Nordic-Baltic cooperation format NB8, and that our goal is to strengthen regional cooperation, raise the visibility of the NB8 on the international stage, and deepen the region’s strategic integration.
Speaking about Greenland, Tsahkna noted that Estonia is convinced that all challenges related to the security of Greenland and the Arctic can best be addressed within the Alliance, through enhanced collective defence planning and coordination among Allies, and that Estonia is ready to contribute to this with its own forces.
As part of the visit, the foreign minister also met the commander of the German 45th Armoured Brigade “Litauen” stationed in Lithuania, Brigadier General Christopher Huber, as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye Hakan Fidan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Oana-Silvia Ţoiu, and the leader of Belarus’s democratic forces Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
A discussion dedicated to security issues also took place at the GSSC think tank.
Additional information:
Communication Department
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