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Estonian Defence Digest: April 01 - 15, 2002

2005-06-14 15:25:11TOWARDS NATO INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS PM Kallas Optimistic after NATO meetings Prime Minister Siim Kallas said that he was quietly optimistic about Estonia receiving an invitation to join NATO, and that he expected Estonia to get an invitation at the Prague summit scheduled for November. Prime Minister Kallas, Defence Minister Sven Mikser and Defence Forces Chief of Defence Vice-Admiral Tarmo Kõuts attended the questions-and-answers session in the North Atlantic Council in Brussels, where they met with the representatives of the 19 NATO member states in the alliance headquarters on April 8. Prime Minister Kallas assured NATO representatives that the two per cent allocation from GDP to defence costs would be maintained, and if need be, Estonia might consider increasing the defence costs, if the situation required. Defence Minister Mikser said that there were no surprises at the Estonian delegation's meeting with the representatives of the NATO member states. "They say that our plans are realistic," said Mikser. Vice-Admiral Kõuts pointed out that while last year the support of the Nordic countries was felt, now the support was universal - even the ambassadors of Greece and Turkey presented supportive speeches. Estonia will no longer have to face the questions-and-answers session at NATO headquarters. Prior to the NATO Prague summit, top delegations of the alliance will visit Estonia on several occasions. TOWARDS NATO NATO Day celebration in Tallinn NATO Day was marked on April 4 with a seminar addressed by Defence Minister Sven Mikser, former Defence Minister Jüri Luik and former Foreign Minister Toomas Hendrik Ilves. Mikser said that Estonia's good position for NATO membership was based on domestic political stability. He reminded the audience that NATO accession and the two-percent defence allocations had been priorities of several consecutive governments. He also stressed that public opinion was strongly in support of Estonia's accession to NATO. Norwegian PM stresses support for Estonia's NATO membership Estonian President Arnold Rüütel, on a state visit to Norway, met with Norwegian Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik on 10 April, who stressed that Norway supported Estonia's membership in NATO as well as membership for Latvia and Lithuania. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION Pentagon officials meet with MoD NATO specialists from the Pentagon held meetings with Ministry of Defence officials and visited various military and peacekeeping installations in Estonia. The US officials and MoD officials discussed NATO enlargement issues and international terrorism, and the MoD presented the visitors with an overview of the medium-range development plans of the armed forces and of the latest structural reforms. Estonian - Polish MoD delegations hold annual meeting Delegations of the Estonian and Polish Ministries of Defence met in Tallinn for their regular annual negotiations. The main issues discussed were NATO enlargement, cooperation plans between Poland and Estonia in 2002, and structural changes in both countries' armed forces and international and regional security issues. The 2002 annual plan covers a number of areas of cooperation, including NATO integration and the agreement on protection of classified information. Danish Air Force Commander visits Estonia Commander of the Danish Air Force, Major General Leif Simonsen, visited Estonia on April 9-10. Simonsen visited the Ämari Air Base and the airspace surveillance centre, and he was briefed on the current state and future plans of the Estonian Air Force. Simonsen met with his Estonian counterpart, Colonel Teo Krüüner to discuss cooperation plans of the two air forces. Finnish Armed Forces head of logistics visits Estonia Major General Jouko Oittinen, head of logistics of the Finnish Armed Forces met with Chief of General Staff Lieutenant Colonel Aarne Ermus and head of General Staff Logistics Cepartment Major Raivo Tamm. The goal of Oittinen's visit was to learn about the structure and development of the Estonian Defence Forces' logistical services and to discuss problems with the training of logistics specialists. DOMESTIC DEVELOPMENTS New facilities for Kuperjanov Battalion The Ministry of Defence opened the bids for tender on April 3 for a 20 million-kroon project that will build a new barracks and food depot for the Kuperjanov Infantry Battalion in Võru. The MoD said the battalion needed the new barracks to improve its efficiency as a training centre and to provide up-to-date housing to greater number of troops.