Secretary General thanks Estonia for its commitment to NATO’s collective defence
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed his appreciation to Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas for his country’s strong commitment to the Alliance during talks on Thursday (23 April 2015) at NATO headquarters. The discussion focused on current security challenges to the east of Alliance, the importance of maintaining assurance measures, and the continuing adaptation of NATO as it prepares for next year’s Warsaw Summit.
Mr. Stoltenberg thanked Prime Minister Rõivas for his government’s renewed commitment to keep defence spending at or above NATO’s guideline of spending 2% of Gross Domestic Product on defence. The Secretary General said, “Estonia demonstrates that it is possible to spend 2% on defence while also having good fiscal policies. This a strong example for other Allies.“
The Secretary General welcomed Estonia’s important role in hosting NATO’s air policing mission in the Baltics. He further underlined that Estonia plays a key role in strengthening the Alliance’s cyber defences by hosting NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn. The Secretary General also thanked the Prime Minister and the men and women of the Estonian armed forces for Estonia’s valuable contributions to NATO’s operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo.