Secretary General commends Estonia’s commitment to NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had a phone call today (13 May 2020) with Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas to discuss COVID-19 response and NATO’s resilience and readiness to tackle any threat it may face.
In the context of the COVID-19 crisis, Mr Stoltenberg thanked Estonia “for showing solidarity in these difficult times by offering assistance to other Allies, particularly Estonia’s donations of medical supplies to Italy and Spain.”
The Secretary General recognised Estonia’s firm commitment and contributions to the Alliance. Mr. Stoltenberg said, “NATO remains fully committed to the security of Estonia, with our battlegroups, with our air policing, and with our ironclad commitment to your security.” Estonia is an integral part of NATO’s Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan, as well as the NATO Response Force, Air Policing and enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroups. NATO Air Policing is important both practically and politically because it demonstrates collective defence, one of NATO’s core tasks.
The Secretary General commended Estonia for its strong and consistent investments in defence, and for its leadership in cyber defence. Since 2008, Estonia has hosted NATO’s Co-operation Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) in Tallinn, a centre at the forefront of cyber defence technology and collaboration. As the NATO 2020 Cyber Defence Pledge Conference scheduled for 28-29 April in Tallinn was postponed due to COVID-19, the NATO Secretary General and the Estonian Prime Minister discussed holding the event before the end of this year.