Speaking on the phone with the NATO secretary general, Reinsalu stressed the importance of the international community in closely monitoring events in Belarus and condemning the grave violation of human rights there, in the aftermath of Alexander Lukashenko being returned for a sixth term in elections widely condemned as rigged.

"It is NATO's role to be vigilant and provide deterrence," Reinsalu said, according to a ministry press release.

"Instead of attempting to cover its wrongdoing with lies about the alleged concentration of NATO troops on the Belarusian border, the authorities of Belarus should respect the fundamental rights of their citizens," he went on.

The recent poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny with the illegal nerve agent Novichok was also on the table, with the Estonian foreign minister calling the attack serious and cynical, and further demonstration that NATO must take a cautious approach to Russia.

Reinsalu also proposed holding an independent investigation into the poisoning of Navalny, who is currently still in a coma in a German hospital, under the aegis of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The forthcoming December NATO foreign ministers' meeting, which will present the NATO 2030 report, was also discussed.

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