Raidma: NATO's eastern and northern flanks must not be separated

NATO.
NATO. Source: Ken Mürk/ERR

Head of the Estonian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (PA) Mati Raidma participated in the NATO PA Transatlantic Forum in Washington DC. According to a press statement, Raidma's main message is, that the countries in the Baltic Sea region are working towards a single goal and should not be split into eastern and northern flanks o NATO.

During the forum, Raidma took part in a round table involving the heads of the Nordic, Baltic, Polish, and Canadian delegations, affirming Estonia's full support for Sweden and Finland's NATO accession.

"We firmly believe that security and our ability to defend our common values and democracy together in this modern, unpredictable world will grow stronger than it has ever been," said Raidma adding that the Arctic dimension would also significantly increase in prominence as a component of NATO security policy.

Speaking about the challenges faced in NATO's common operational area, Raidma said, that dividing the Baltic region into separate eastern and northern flanks would not be of benefit in fostering the unity of the region.

"The NATO allies who act as guarantors of security in the Baltic Sea region must not be divided into separate flanks. We have a common goal and this can only be achieved as long as we are not part of different regional divisions," he said.

The NATO PA Transatlantic Forum takes place in Washington DC from Monday to Wednesday. According to the press statement, the aim of the forum is to discuss the key challenges currently being faced in international politics and enhance transatlantic cooperation.

Among the issues on the agenda are the common response to Russia's war in Ukraine, including not only continued support for Ukraine, but also the impact of the war, and the strengthening of NATO's deterrence and defence posture.

On Monday, heads of the Nordic and Baltic, Polish, and Canadian delegations met for a round table to discuss NATO developments in the Baltic and Arctic regions.

Raidma is accompanied at the NATO PA Forum in Washington DC by his deputy Marko Šorin, along with fellow delegation members Jaak Juske and Mihhail Lotman.

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Editor: Michael Cole

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