Estonia: Jüri Ratas discussed defence issues and digital cooperation with Spanish Prime Minister

NordenBladet — The discussions at the meeting of President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas and Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez focused on strengthening of bilateral relations, defence cooperation in NATO and developing of digital services.

Ratas noted that although already 100 years had passed from the establishing of diplomatic relations between Estonia and Spain, the contacts between them had noticeably improved during recent years.

The President of the Riigikogu thanked Spain for their contribution to the NATO’s Baltic Air Policing and to the Enhanced Forward Presence of NATO allies in the Baltic States. He expressed hope that Spain would deploy its fighters again in Ämari Air Base in the coming years.

Ratas assured the Prime Minister of Spain that the Baltic States were not only consumers of the security provided by NATO, but also contributed to it themselves. “As the members of NATO, we share the principle of 360-degree approach to security and make our contribution in the missions in the South,” Ratas said.

At the meeting, Ratas made a proposal that Estonia and Spain could more actively promote cooperation in developing the digital society. “Both Estonia and Spain have already made great efforts to develop a wide variety of public digital services, but partnerships in this domain would definitely accelerate the growth,” Ratas emphasised. In his opinion, the recent COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated people’s need for digital skills and secure and reliable communication lines.

Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Indrek Saar and Chair of the Estonia-Spain Parliamentary Friendship Group Vilja Toomast also participated in the meeting with the Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez. They underlined the importance of parliamentary cooperation in different fields.