National Defence Committee discussed the impact of Finland’s accession to NATO in Helsinki

NordenBladet —

At the meetings held during their two-day working visit to Helsinki, Finland, the delegation of the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) discussed how Finland’s decision to apply for NATO membership would influence the security of Finland, Estonia and the Baltic Sea region, and in which areas Estonia and Finland as NATO allies should particularly intensify their defence cooperation.

In the opinion of Chairman of the National Defence Committee Enn Eesmaa, the Defence Committees of Estonia and Finland have excellent, long-standing cooperation and Estonia is very happy that Finland has recently applied to join NATO. “We strongly support the accession decisions of both Finland and Sweden,” he said. “In our discussions with our Finnish colleagues, we spoke about the additional investments of Estonia and Finland to strengthen the defence capability of both countries and about Russia’s criminal military activities in Ukraine. We promised our northern neighbours that the Riigikogu would ratify the protocols on Finland’s accession to NATO as soon as they would be submitted for parliamentary proceedings.”

Deputy Chairman of the National Defence Committee Leo Kunnas added that the Finnish Defence Forces that were based on a reserve army were very strong and Finland’s contribution to collective defence and the security of our region would be significant.

During the visit, the National Defence Committee held a joint sitting with the Defence Committee of the Eduskunta (Parliament of Finland), which is chaired by Petteri Orpo. The members of the National Defence Committee also met with Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, General Timo Kivinen, Minister of Justice Anna-Maja Henriksson and representatives of the National Emergency Supply Agency of Finland, and visited the Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA).

Members of the National Defence Committee Heiki Hepner, Peeter Rahnel and Mati Raidma also participated in the visit, along with the Chairman and the Deputy Chairman of the Committee.

The National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu has been cooperating closely and holding annual working meetings with the Defence Committee of the Eduskunta since 1993.

Source: Parliament of Estonia