The Foreign Affairs Committee visits NATO Headquarters and the European Commission in Brussels

The delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) is on a working to Brussels, Belgium. Today, they will visit NATO Headquarters and the European Commission.

Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson thinks that the most important task of the countries of the West is to help Ukraine and to bring Russia to a strategic defeat, and the meetings of the Foreign Affairs Committee will focus on this. “Ukraine continues to need economic, military and political support, and this includes using all measures to help Ukraine restore its grain export. It is also necessary to achieve unity in the European Union and to give Ukraine the status of a candidate country,” he said. “At the same time, new ways to put pressure on Russia must be sought. The decision made at the European Council to ditch Russian energy at the first opportunity is important, but it is only one step on this way.”

According to Mihkelson, drafting of NATO’s strategic concept as well as the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO will be among the defence and security issues to be discussed at the meetings at NATO Headquarters. “We expect to move on with the accession process as soon as possible. “At the Riigikogu, we ready to ratify the accession protocols immediately after the North Atlantic Council has approved them,” he stated.

In Brussels, the delegation of the Foreign Affairs Committee will meet with Pedro Serrano, Head of Cabinet of High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, and visit NATO Headquarters, where they will have meetings with Deputy Secretary General of NATO Mircea Geoană, NATO’s Assistant Secretary General David Cattler and Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Emerging Security Challenges James Appathurai.

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson is accompanied on the visit by members of the Foreign Affairs Committee Mihhail Lotman, Mailis Reps and Indrek Saar.

Source: Parliament of Estonia