18 July

British Prime Minister David Cameron visited the Estonian unit at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan today, thanking the soldiers serving on the mission for the excellent work they are doing in Afghanistan. “Estonia’s soldiers are courageous and professional, and we’re grateful to them all for working with us,” Cameron said upon greeting the troops.

At a bilateral meeting of the Estonian and British prime ministers, Ansip and Cameron stated that the two countries’ co-operation as partners in NATO and on joint military operations in Afghanistan had proven a great success.

The prime ministers said that compared to 2006, when both Ansip and Cameron visited Afghanistan, the situation in the country has improved markedly – with the local army and police having been bolstered and locals showing them more trust. This inspires hope that Afghanistan will be peaceful and stable enough by the end of 2014 for NATO to end its military operations in the country.

Following their meeting, the prime ministers sat down and shared a meal with the soldiers.