Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna participated today, 13 May, in the Baltic Sea Strategy Annual Forum, the region’s largest cooperation event. This year’s forum focused on resilience in the Baltic Sea region. Minister Tsahkna took part in a plenary discussion centered on regional competitiveness and demographics.
In the discussion, Tsahkna emphasized the need to develop regional connectivity, highlighting the idea of a tunnel between Helsinki and Tallinn. He also stressed the importance of thinking bigger, noting that the tunnel should not be limited to an Estonia–Finland connection, but should be seen as part of a broader strategic corridor that could extend all the way to the North Sea. “The Tallinn–Helsinki tunnel should be seen as a strategic corridor extending toward the North Sea, connecting it more directly with wider Europe and integrating it into the trans-European transport network,” Tsahkna said. According to the Minister, building the tunnel would significantly contribute to regional security and competitiveness. “Connectivity in the Baltic Sea region requires a greater vision,” he added.
“Connectivity determines how well our shared Baltic–Nordic region is integrated both internally and with the rest of Europe. At the same time, Russia’s full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine places us in a new geostrategic situation, which underlines the need to take a fresh and serious look at the idea of a Helsinki–Tallinn tunnel. The tunnel would be the missing link between Rail Baltica and a corridor extending to Northern Scandinavia. Success requires cooperation on many levels – between Tallinn and Helsinki, Estonia and Finland, and the Baltic and Nordic countries,” said Helsinki Mayor Daniel Sazonov.
Minister Tsahkna stressed that strengthening security and resilience is a prerequisite for improving competitiveness and addressing demographic challenges. “Security is no longer a separate issue, but a precondition for economic growth, investment, and people’s wellbeing,” he said. According to him, resilience means primarily developing defence capabilities and increasing defence spending, continuing support for Ukraine, raising the cost of aggression through sanctions, and ensuring accountability for the aggressor, including through the establishment of a tribunal.
Tsahkna noted that the Baltic Sea countries together form an economic area comparable in scale to the world’s G9 economies, with strengths including high levels of education, innovation, and new technologies. “We must become even more productive and make better use of what we already have. This includes strong education, innovation, and our role in shaping the future directions of the European Union and NATO,” the Minister said. He added that the region is united by a shared understanding of key issues, and that education and innovation are the keys to the future.
The Minister also emphasized that competitiveness is increasingly global in nature, making regional cooperation even more important. He highlighted the potential of Ida-Virumaa to become an innovation hub for the entire region, referring to the planned rare earth magnet factory in Narva, which will be the largest of its kind outside China.
“In addition, we must develop our defence industry and capabilities so that our economy can benefit more from them as well,” he noted. The Minister also stressed that supporting Ukraine is not merely an aid project, but an investment in the security of Europe and the entire region. According to him, the NB8 format could serve as a practical platform for strengthening Ukraine’s integration into the European Union.
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