Prime minister to Riigikogu: Our national defense readiness is good
Prime Minister Jüri Ratas (Center) gave an overview of the implementation of the National Security Concept of Estonia in national defense to the National Defence Committee of the Riigikogu on Wednesday.
"In 2017 we assessed the global security environment to be perilous and there is no reason to change this assessment now," Ratas said. "Together with our allies and friends we must stand for the safety, stability and international law," he added.
The Prime Minister said that security is first and foremost based on the wish of the Estonian people to defend their country and make an effort in various fields. "Our national defense readiness is good, and our membership in NATO and in the European Union, strong transatlantic relations with the United States and the Nordic-Baltic countries ensure our security," Ratas assured.
The Prime Minister said that long-term planning and stable financing were the preconditions for successful security policy. He admitted that the state budget discussions were still ahead and the predictions were still coming, but the stable and targeted financing of national defense had to continue at the level of at least two per cent of GDP.
In the current security environment, it is important that people, organizations and institutions keep growing their readiness for all crises, Ratas said. "We have to develop a readiness culture in which people are ready to cope on their own for some time after the beginning of a crisis," he added.
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Editor: Anders Nõmm