ESTONIA

Estonia: No quarantine needed for arrivals from four European states from March 22

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet – The list of European countries whose arrivals in Estonia do not have to quarantine starting from Monday, March 22, has fallen to four, one of which is Ireland.

From Monday, arrivals in Estonia from Iceland, Portugal and Spain do not have to self-quarantine. These three are joined by Ireland, whose 14-day coronavirus rate per 100,000 inhabitants has also dropped below the 150 threshold, meaning arrivals from that country do not have a quarantine requirement applied ot them either..

Four countries have dropped off the arrivals quarantine exemption list since last week: Denmark, Germany, Liechtenstein and Norway, after their 14-day rate exceeded the ceiling in the past week, so arrivals from those countries must now quarantine.

Travelers from all other European countries must quarantine for 10 days on arrival (see below for exemptions for arrivals from Lithuania and Latvia, and the stricter regime for arrivals from the U.K.).

The restrictions apply for the week March 22-28.

The spread of new coronavirus variants has caused the situation to change rapidly, the Ministry of Foreign Affair said in a press release Friday, and, accordingly, other states are imposing measures to control the spread of the illness at short notice (including restrictions on movement, changes to conditions for border crossing, mandatory tests and testing).

The rapid introduction of these measures means that the options for traveling abroad as well as for returning to Estonia can change suddenly, so the ministry strongly advises the public to assess whether traveling is absolutely essential, look up travel advice on the destination and any transit countries, and in addition to other vital information, make sure people are aware of the conditions for entering and leaving the country in question.

A 10-day restriction on the freedom of movement applies on entering Estonia from a country in the EU, EEA and the Schengen area with a reported COVID-19 infection rate above 150 persons per 100,000 inhabitants in the past 14 days.

A list of European countries’ infection rates is shown below, with those countries whose arrivals must quarantine for the period March 22 to March 28 in bold.

  • Andorra 442.4
  • Austria 388.3
  • Belgium 328.4
  • Bulgaria 453.4
  • Croatia 199.8
  • Czech Republic 1518.3
  • Cyprus 556.8
  • Denmark 161.1
  • Finland 167.8*
  • France 468.9
  • Germany 154.8
  • Greece 280.3
  • Hungary 934.2
  • Iceland 15.1
  • Ireland 144.0
  • Italy  499.4
  • Latvia 398.1*
  • Liechtenstein 302.0
  • Lithuania 223.5*
  • Luxembourg 391.6
  • Malta  693.4
  • Monaco 456.4
  • Netherlands 402.9
  • Norway 175.8
  • Poland 542.1
  • Portugal 92.8
  • Romania 303.1
  • San Marino  635.6
  • Slovakia 532.0
  • Slovenia 489.3
  • Spain 146.6
  • Sweden 545.9
  • Switzerland 220.5
  • Vatican 0.0**

*Based on Order No 282 of Government of Estonia, the restriction on the freedom of movement does not apply to asymptomatic people who have been on the territory of  Lithuania, Latvia or Finland in the past 10 days and have travelled to Estonia directly from Lithuania, Latvia or Finland with the following preconditions:

1) The person has taken a coronavirus test no earlier than 72 hours before their arrival in Estonia and the result is negative, or they have taken the test immediately after their arrival in Estonia and the result is negative. The passenger is required to remain in isolation while waiting for the test result.

(2) They arrive in Estonia for the purpose of working, studying or receiving health services or for family reasons or transit. Passengers arriving in Estonia for the reasons listed above are not obligated to test for coronavirus.

**While the Vatican has a zero reported COVID-19 rate, since arrivals will in practice have passed through the territory of Italy, they also have to quarantine in on arrival Estonia.

Estonia’s infection rate was as of Saturday 1,531 per 100,000 inhabitants, reportedly the highest in Europe, according to WHO.

Arrivals from the United Kingdom

Passengers arriving in Estonia from the United Kingdom are subject to an additional obligation to test for COVID-19 up to 72 hours before their arrival in Estonia, and the result must be negative. The test is not compulsory for children under the age of 12. A 10-day period of restrictions on movement is also mandatory for passengers arriving from the United Kingdom. The rule applies even in cases when the passenger has only transited through the United Kingdom on their way to Estonia. The period of restrictions on movement can be shortened if in addition to the first negative test, a second test taken 7 days after arrival is also negative.

Self-isolation is not required for anyone who has:

(1) suffered from COVID-19 and no more than six months have passed since they have been declared cured;

(2) have undergone COVID-19 vaccination and no more than six months have passed since its completion.

Reducing self isolation

The following rules apply to reducing the period of self-isolation both when arriving from Europe and other regions, except for third country nationals arriving in Estonia for work or studies:

(1) Anyone unwilling to self-isolate for 10 days after their arrival in Estonia can take a PCR test abroad no earlier than 72 hours before their arrival in Estonia. While in Estonia, a second test can be taken no earlier than on the sixth day after the first test. The 10-day isolation period can be concluded earlier if both tests are negative.

(2) Anyone who has not taken a test up to 72 hours before their arrival in Estonia can take one immediately after their arrival and the second test no earlier than six days after their first test. The 10-day isolation period can be concluded earlier if both tests are negative.

Information about the conditions that apply to the test certificate is available HERE. For booking a second test, passengers can contact the call centre for public testing (678 0000).

Details about testing are available here.

Arrivals from third countries

It is possible to travel to Estonia from Australia, New Zealand, Rwanda, Singapore, South Korea, and Thailand.

A 10-day self-isolation is mandatory for passengers arriving from countries with an infection rate above 16 people per 100 000 inhabitants in the past 14 days.

Other third country nationals arriving for work or for studies are subject to the 10-day mandatory self-isolation. They must take a coronavirus test immediately after arriving in Estonia and a second test no earlier than six days after the first test. Testing does not grant the right to stop self-isolating before the mandatory period ends.

In cases where travelling from Estonia to another state is essential, the Estonian foreign ministry recommends:

  • Consulting the Foreign Ministry’s website for the infection rate in the planned country of destination;
  • Consulting the Reisi Targalt website (in Estonian), the ReOpen portal of the European Union, or contact the representation of the country for more details;
  • Registering your trip at the Foreign Ministry’s Reisi Targalt website (in Estonian) to allow us to notify you of possible travel restrictions;
  • Following the recommendations of the Health Board (Terviseamet) to ensure a safe flight; if you display potential COVID-19 symptoms, please postpone your trip and contact your GP;
  • Taking out travel insurance and carefully read the conditions of your insurance (including for travel interruptions caused by COVID-19);
  • Following the instructions of local authorities and keep up to date with possible new restrictions in the destination state.

Upon returning to Estonia from abroad, the ministry recommends:

  • Filling out a declaration when crossing an Estonian border (this is mandatory), which can be done electronically. The declaration can be completed 24 hours before arriving in Estonia on the state self-service portal here. Retain the confirmation email you will receive after you have completed the form. The declaration can also be filled out on paper.
  • On returning, follow the current rules in Estonia, and if you suspect you have been infected with the corona virus, contact your family doctor.

The spread of new coronavirus variants has caused the situation to change rapidly, the ministry says, and accordingly, states are imposing measures to control the spread of the illness at short notice (including restrictions on movement, changes to conditions for border crossing, mandatory tests and testing).

The rapid introduction of these measures means that the options for travelling abroad as well as for returning to Estonia can change suddenly. The ministry strongly advises assessing whether travelling is absolutely essential, looking up travel advice for the destination and transit countries, and in addition to other vital information, ensuring awareness of conditions for entering and leaving the country in question.

The national helpline for additional information on the coronavirus and restrictions on the freedom of movement is 1247 (this is also the general national information line, and can be reached on +372 600 1247 when calling from abroad.

Featured image: Unsplash

Estonia: Northern hospitals sending COVID-19 patients to south for treatment

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet – As the number of coronavirus patients in need of hospital treatment in the northern region of Estonia is exceeding treatment capacity, patients will be sent to the hospitals of the southern region starting Tuesday.

“In a situation where the epidemiological center is in northern Estonia, the hospitals in our region are almost full. In the southern region, the need for hospital treatment is lower at the moment and, fortunately, the hospitals of the southern medical headquarters can come to our aid,” Peep Talving, medical director of North Estonia Medical Center and head of the medical headquarter of the northern region said.

In agreement with Joel Starkopf, head of the southern medical headquarters, the transport of patients to hospitals in the southern region will begin on Tuesday.

Patients will be transported by ambulances and the initial plan covers patients who need treatment at the standard ward level. Patients will be referred to the southern region as long as hospitals have the capacity to receive patients or until the pressure in the northern region is reduced and there are enough beds.

Patients in Tallinn will be provided with transport back to the referring hospital or home if the situation at the hospitals of the northern region improves.

Talving said ambulances will first take the patients to the emergency medicine departments of hospitals in their hospitalization area. “Doctors at the emergency medicine department will perform an initial examination of the patient and assess their need for hospital treatment,” he said. “The transport and hospital will then be decided and the ambulance will take the patient to where there is a free bed for them.”

There were 35 patients with COVID-19 infection at the emergency medicine department of the North Estonia Medical Center during the previous day, 15 of them were hospitalized. On Tuesday morning, the hospital had 152 COVID-19 patients, 128 in COVID-19 wards and 24 in COVID-19 intensive care units.

According to the Health Board’s morning report, there are 507 coronavirus patients in hospitals in the northern region and 185 patients in hospitals in the southern region.

Estonia: French and UK army vehicles and equipment arrive by sea into Estonia

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — French and UK Army vehicles and equipment arrived by sea into an Estonian port on Wednesday 17 March 2021 to support the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battlegroup based in the country.

The ship’s load, which covered more than two thousand nautical miles between the Port of La Rochelle in France and Paldiski, included 12 of the iconic French Leclerc tanks as well as a range of armoured vehicles such as the 8-wheeled Véhicule Blindé de Combat d’Infanterie or VCBI. There were also large transporter vehicles, recovery vehicles, trucks, trailers, and fuel tanks.

“There are many challenges from organising the use of a civilian port, unloading a vessel this size in a good time and using certain routes to the likes of Tapa with escort vehicles,” said Lieutenant Jon Caulder SO3 Movements NATO eFP. “The UK, Estonia and France have different regulations and policies for doing this, but we work together to get the best solutions to ensure vehicles and equipment come off the ship, onto the port side and to their destination.”

The UK consignment on board included armoured vehicles such as Warrior and Bulldog, field guns and 4×4 all-terrain vehicles. Both these and the French vehicles and equipment were off-loaded by a team of UK and Estonian movers.

“The arrival of French troops and the rotation of UK unit gives us an opportunity to train reception procedures and to develop cross-nation cooperation. It is great that our allies have decided to use different modes of transportation to deploy to Estonia – using air, sea and land. This provides us with a chance to test our interoperability in different transportation hubs and proves vividly, that moving allied units to Estonia is not hindered by the pandemic,” said major Lauri Kiviloo, Commander of EDF Support Command’s Movement and Transportation Service.

The UK vehicles and equipment will be used by the 1 MERCIAN Battlegroup which is arriving in Estonia this month for a six-month deployment and seamlessly taking over from the 5 RIFLES Battlegroup as lead element of the NATO Battlegroup based in Tapa. A French contingent of nearly 300 personnel, which started arriving in Estonia earlier this month, will use its vehicle and equipment during a year-long deployment. The French, who have already completed two eight-month missions in Estonia in 2017 and 2019, will be integrated into the UK-led Battlegroup during one year this time which forms part of the 1st Estonian Infantry Brigade.

 

Estonia: The following thematic years have been announced in the field of culture

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — Minister of Culture Anneli Ott confirmed the thematic years in the field of culture for the next three years. 2022 will be dedicated to libraries, 2023 will be the year of exercise, and 2024 will focus on cultural diversity. 

“Next year is noteworthy because, based on user needs, libraries are in the process of changing. And this has motivated the choice of next year’s theme. The role of libraries is increasingly changing from being a repository to being an adviser, guide and educator. Also, the ever-increasing amount, and faster pace, of information, as well as the digital revolution, are assigning completely new responsibilities to libraries in both the social and educational sphere,” noted Minister of Culture Anneli Ott. “Libraries are becoming community information and counselling centres that benefit all of us – be it in terms of more available services and information, or simply as a way to improve and educate ourselves,” added Ott.

The National Library of Estonia will start preparing and implementing the programmes for the library theme years. In 2023, sports will pick up the baton for the library theme year, so as to increase people’s interest in exercise and healthier lifestyles. The year dedicated to exercise will draw attention to the fact that, despite improved statistics, we still lag about 20% behind the Nordic countries, where at least 75% of the population engages in regular exercise. In 2024, the diverse cultures and traditions of the various nationalities living in Estonia will be introduced, as will Estonia’s own unique cultural spaces and communities. The executors of the plans for 2023 and 2024 will be announced at a later date.

The Ministry of Culture has been organising thematic years since 2000, when the Estonian Book Year was celebrated. The aim of the thematic years is to bring attention to a cultural field or theme each year. The thematic years that have been organised to date include: the Year of Art, the Year of the Estonian Theatre, the Year of the Museum, the Year of Reading, the Year of Estonian Film, the Year of Cultural Heritage, the Year of Music, the Year of Maritime Culture, the Year of Children and Youth, the Year of Digital Culture. Descriptions of all the thematic years to date are available on the Ministry of Culture website.

 

 

 

Estonia: International naval operation is taking place on southern part of the Baltic Sea

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force is conducting a joint naval operation on southern part of the Baltic Sea from March 10 to 14. Additionally to the Royal Navy, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian navies take part of the operation.

The joint force practices guarding waterways and escorting transport vessels by countering different air, submarine and ship attacks, also conducting mine countermeasures operations and naval surface fire training.

Units participating the operation are UK frigates HMS Lancaster, HMS Westminster, auxiliary ship RFA Tiderace together with helicopters from UK frigates, patrol vessel Jelgava from Latvia, minehunter Selis and auxiliary ship Jotvingis from Lithuania and auxiliary ship Wambola from Estonia.

“Security and defense of the waterways are our priorities during times of crises,” says Maj. Gen. Indrek Sirel, Deputy Chief of Defense of the Estonian Defense Forces. “The majority of our allies’ military equipment and other goods is transported by the sea. This exercise strengthens deterrence at sea in the same way as NATO Enhanced Forward Presence strengthens deterrence on the land.”

The UK-led naval operation is part of Joint Expeditionary Force´s activities. The coalition of British, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Netherlands forces was formed on 2014.

“Some of the UK’s closest and most steadfast Allies are found in the Baltics. This deployment is both the latest example of a long and proud history of defence cooperation and a clear demonstration of the capability of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF),” said Ben Wallace, UK-s Defence Secretary. “As the first maritime patrol of made up of exclusively JEF nations, we are ensuring our ships and people are ready to operate in challenging conditions alongside our Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian and Swedish Allies.”

JEF is determined to maintain the security and to react rapidly to crises in the northern Europe, Baltic States, northern Atlantic or anywhere in the world. JEF complements its member states’ and NATO´s deterrence posture in the region – planning, training and operating together enables member nations to react rapidly to any hostile activities and to prevent early the escalation of possible crises.

 

Estonia: International naval operation Expone is taking place on southern part of the Baltic Sea

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — The UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force is conducting a joint naval operation Expone on southern part of the Baltic Sea from March 10 to 14. Additionally to the Royal Navy, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian navies as well as the Swedish Air Force take part of this exercise.

The joint force practices guarding waterways and escorting transport vessels by countering different air, submarine and ship attacks, also conducting mine countermeasures operations and naval surface fire training.

Units participating the operation are UK frigates HMS Lancaster, HMS Westminster, auxiliary ship RFA Tiderace together with helicopters from UK frigates, patrol vessel Jelgava from Latvia, minehunter Selis and auxiliary ship Jotvingis from Lithuania and auxiliary ship Wambola from Estonia.

“Security and defense of the waterways are our priorities during times of crises,” says Maj. Gen. Indrek Sirel, Deputy Chief of Defense of the Estonian Defense Forces. “The majority of our allies’ military equipment and other goods is transported by the sea. This exercise strengthens deterrence at sea in the same way as NATO Enhanced Forward Presence strengthens deterrence on the land.”

The UK-led naval operation Expone is part of Joint Expeditionary Force´s activities. The coalition of British, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Finnish, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and Netherlands forces was formed on 2014.

JEF is determined to maintain the security and to react rapidly to crises in the northern Europe, Baltic States, northern Atlantic or anywhere in the world. JEF complements its member states’ and NATO´s deterrence posture in the region – planning, training and operating together enables member nations to react rapidly to any hostile activities and to prevent early the escalation of possible crises.

 

Estonia: An additional million euros will be provided for the development of creative companies

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — Creative companies will receive an additional one million euros from the EU Structural Funds to support the implementation of their development plans. The changes related to the use of the additional support have now been enacted in the measure regulating creative economy development.

“We will be able to support ambitious creative entrepreneurs in working out and implementing innovative solutions, as well as developing products, services, technologies and processes as well as personnel. The support can also be used to create new market opportunities and to modernise business models,” explained Anu-Maaja Pallok, Adviser for Creative Industries at the Ministry of Culture. “This business support is not entirely new – a measure of Enterprise Estonia’s enterprise development programme has been used as an example, and it has been adjusted to address the specifics of the creative economy sector,” Pallok added.

The support is targeted at ambitious small and medium-sized creative enterprises. The prerequisite for filing an application is the existence of a development plan that must include all the activities and goals that impact the company’s overall development. This includes the company’s own funds, bank loans or other sources of financing. “The company must have the will and capability to draw up a development plan so that the application can be submitted as soon as possible. The implementation of the activities will be limited by the fact that the budget period will conclude at the end of August 2023,” said Pallok. “If an entrepreneur is ambitious, but the preconditions are insufficient for the desired change to be achieved initially, Enterprise Estonia can come to the rescue. Help can be provided in order to find suitable grants and services from among the support measures, which will help to improve the company’s capability in a particular field,” Pallok explained.

The company must have been in business for at least three years before submitting an application and its annual sales revenue must be at least €200,000, of which export sales revenues must total at least €20,000. In addition, the company must have at least two employees at the time the application is filed. Enterprise Estonia will announce the starting date for filing the applications at least 30 days in advance. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and not organised into rounds. It is expected that applications for the new support will be start to be accepted as of mid-April, but in order to apply for support, preliminary counselling must be completed, which Enterprise Estonia will be starting earlier. There are also plans to organise an information day. For more information, see the Enterprise Estonia website: www.eas.ee.

The regulation is available in the State Gazette.

The measure for creative economy development is co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund. The implementing agency is the Ministry of Culture and the implementing unit is Enterprise Estonia.
 

 

 

Finland, Germany, Denmark and Estonia call on EU to accelerate digital transformation

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet — Prime Minister Sanna Marin and the leaders of three EU Member States have sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The joint letter calls on the EU to speed up its digital transformation. The other signatories of the letter are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

Prime Minister Sanna Marin and the leaders of three EU Member States have sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. The joint letter calls on the EU to speed up its digital transformation. The other signatories of the letter are German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

“Ambitious digitalisation policy in line with the values of the EU lays the foundation for the Union’s growth and competitiveness. It is also the cornerstone of Finland’s growth policy. Finnish operators have a great deal to contribute to this work,” says Prime Minister Marin.  Promoting the digital transformation in Europe is one of the EU’s key objectives over the next few years. In their joint letter, the EU leaders express support to the Commission and offer ideas on how it should move forward in its work on initiatives related to digital policy, such as its Communication on the EU’s digital targets for 2030. The letter highlights the need for the European Union to get ahead of the curve in the digital transformation, as outlined by the European Council in October of last year. Europe needs to recharge and complement its current efforts with a self-determined and open digital policy that guarantees sufficient sovereignty and advances the EU’s digital leadership. This kind of digital policy encompasses the interests of society, the economy and government and supports the Union in its green transition.

 

Estonia accedes to the Faro Convention, which values cultural heritage as a resource

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Today, on February 25th, the government approved Estonia’s accession to the Council of Europe Framework Convention. The Faro Convention emphasizes that cultural heritage is a valuable resource for society and an inherent part of sustainable development.
 

“By acceding to the Convention, Estonia affirms that cultural heritage plays an important role in modern society and that Estonia bases its heritage policy on international principles,” Minister of Culture Anneli Ott said. “Cultural heritage is a resource that only increases as it’s used,” Ott added.

The Faro Convention is an international agreement that provides a new approach to cultural heritage. Unlike other conventions, it does not focus on heritage conservation, but deals with the values attributed to heritage. The text emphasises that cultural heritage is a valuable resource for society because, in addition to its cultural dimension, it also has environmental, economic and social dimensions. It also stresses that cultural heritage improves people’s quality of life, diversifies the living environment, is a source of creative activity, and plays a role in sustainable development.

Another central idea of the Convention is the right of everyone to participate in cultural heritage, as the responsibility for cultural heritage is both individual and collective.

The framework convention does not create specific obligations for action by the signatories, but rather is a set of principles. The member states can choose the approaches that best suit their legislation, principles and practices.

The Convention was opened for signature to the member states in Faro, Portugal on 27 October 2005 and entered into force internationally on 1 June 2011. The Faro Convention has been ratified by 20 member states of the Council of Europe. And six have signed it, but not ratified it. For Estonia, the Convention shall enter into force three months after the date of deposit of the instrument of accession with the Secretary General of the Council of Europe.

Source: Ministry of Culture – Republic of Estonia

Chief of Defence speech for Estonia’s 103rd Independence Day

By
Helena-Reet Ennet
-

NordenBladet —

Good people of Estonia!

This year we are celebrating the birthday of our country at a rather difficult time. This is not the first time that we have celebrated the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia in trying times, for example, in 1919 and 1920, when the people were fighting for their country in war, but also in 1939 and 1940, when everyone was hoping that a devastating war would not come.

In retrospect, we are able to say that things definitely turned out for the better when there was greater unity among the people. When the common goals of society outweighed personal fears, the ramblings of know-it-alls, individual desires for absolute freedom, or taking offense at the actions of government officials. It is quite likely that the people who pledged their lives in the War of Independence shared a dislike for a number of politicians, reviled officials, or direct superiors. Even one’s neighbour in the trenches was often unsympathetic. Of course, many were not fond of forced mobilisation. Despite all this, they worked towards common goals. For the freedom of their people and of the country.

At the end of last year, Ivo Linna said that the coronavirus pandemic is likely our generation’s war. Every generation before us has had their own experience with war. Considering this last year of restrictions, dangers, ignorance and often loneliness, this is probably something that people can agree with. After all, this is not the usual peacetime experience. True – we have not lost people as we did during the two world wars, but we still witness and experience everyday battles and losses.

The most visible battle is, of course, taking place in healthcare – in this battle, the Republic of Estonia has not been defeated. On the contrary, as was the case 102 years ago, we have now turned defence into offence.

However, a much more covert war is taking place on the front of people’s feelings, perceptions, opinions, and doubts. As tends to be the case in times of uncertainty, there is a great deal of disbelief and mistrust. There is harsh criticism and even hatred towards decision-makers. Who should I trust? Scientists, the government, officials, or myself? Should I think and act as I see fit?

Professor Mati Heidmets has called this situation a ‘natural experiment’, one that reveals how strong the sense of unity of a society or nation is. How much are citizens willing to limit their own desires for the greater good? In the War of Independence, our ancestors were able to do so. Sometimes they spat in each other’s food, yet still went into battle together. Certainly not for Päts, Puskar or Piip, but for a sense of unity, for their home and their people.

The same unity existed in the 1940s, otherwise thousands of men and women would not have been able to fight against and hide from foreign rule for years as Forest Brothers. Although disagreements and betrayals occurred, the Forest Brothers never pulled the trigger lightly and the public never stopped supporting them.

Unlike many other nations, in the late 1980s, our sense of unity proved to be stronger than our mutual hostility or disagreements. This feeling of community concluded with the restoration of the Republic of Estonia, allowing us today to celebrate the 103rd anniversary of our country. In the most difficult of times, our people have found a sense of national unity that has protected us. This was the case on the front lines of the War of Independence, during the fight as Forest Brothers, during the Singing Revolution, and it is also necessary now.

As the Commander of the Defence Forces, I can appreciate our modern war heroes. Those who are defending our country by participating in far-away missions, but also those who are currently fighting on the front line against this unpredictable disease.

Are not our healthcare workers worthy of admiration? They are tirelessly fighting for our lives in hospitals and getting vaccinated, despite personal doubts, but doing so in all of our interests. The police also stand face to face with the coronavirus every day, despite not having any weapons with which to combat it. They do so in spite of fatigue and an invisible danger, standing for the people and the state.

Many volunteers – members of the Defence League and of the women’s organisation Naiskodukaitse – are coming to the aid of the state because … the state needs them and the state is needed.

Government officials and scientists are also doing their best in the interests of society, even when they know that some people question their competence, years of study and sincerity, and mock them on Facebook. Nevertheless, they continue working to protect even these people.

Last spring, we placed the conscripts in the military units of the Defence Forces under lockdown, in an effort to achieve the training goals while also ensuring that they can act as a reserve for the state should something even worse happen. Initially, this decision caused murmurings of discontent. However, as the situation became clearer, the conscripts posed the question: ‘Can we not do something for our country?’ The answer is simple: ‘Yes, you can do your duty, but you can also do much more – keep your loved ones safe, inform them and, if necessary, also warn them.’

A British officer serving among us came to me in the spring and said: ‘I have a problem. My soldiers want to help you in the fight against the virus. What can we do?’ They are our allies… This too is a sense of unity.

Last December, conscripts graduating from a paramedic course were asked just before the Christmas holiday: ‘If there is a shortage of staff in care homes, are you ready to voluntarily return from your leave to serve?’ This was a fair question that most answered in the affirmative.

Based on these few examples, I can confirm that I have seen the sense of unity that we need to defeat our opponent. We possess this sense of unity, it exists in most of us, even if we do not realise it ourselves, even if we doubt it. And I can assure you – we have the will, the desire, and the pride to win this war and the next war, whatever that war may be.

I have a feeling that in a few years, on the anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, we will be able to say that we have won this war and the result of this natural experiment has been good… because today we have a great 103-year old nation and a people with a strong sense of unity.

Long live the Republic of Estonia!

Source: Estonian Defence Forces

1...112113114...157Page 113 of 157