The guiding principle of Estonian security and defence policy is to benefit from being an active participant and contributor in the international security framework. Joining the North Atlantic Alliance serves as a logical extension of this principle by enabling Estonia to maximise the cost-effectiveness of its participation and contributions through closer cooperation with other allies.

"First and foremost, NATO for Estonia is a security issue. We've been trying different options during previous century, they didn't work. So now, we are trying to get all the security guarantees we can find, and NATO is definitely the only hard security guarantee available," said Ambassador Harri Tiido, Head of the Mission of the Republic of Estonia to NATO in a video interview for the NATO Web site.