Defense minister: Definite, real progress made at NATO Vilnius Summit
The NATO summit in Vilnius has from an Estonian perspective progressed very well so far, with one more day to go, Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur (Reform) says. This progress included the approval of regional defense plans, and the green-light to Sweden's accession.
"New regional plans have been approved, Sweden is about to become a full-fledged member of NATO, and Ukraine's future towards NATO obtained a clearer perspective," Pevkur said Tuesday.
"These new military plans put in place the NATO collective defence actions across all domains – land, air, water, space and cyber. They also delve into actions in different phases of a conflict – in peacetime, in crisis and in war," he went on, via a ministry press release.
"Already today, we also talked about next steps towards ensuring the implementation of these plans: for example, strengthening military command, developing forces and capabilities, but also, of course, the necessary defense investments and boosting the capability of the defense industry," the minister added.
The minister added that an overview had been given to all defense ministers present by NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Cavoli of allied defensive plans. "NATO forces are stronger than a year ago and we also have a common and clear understanding on the targets for development that lay ahead of us."
Pevkur joined his Lithuanian and Latvian counterparts in signed a joint declaration on air defense, to move forward with the rotational air defense model recently agreed.
Minister Pevkur is also due to meet with Britain's Defense Secretary Ben Wallace while in Vilnius, with the aim of signing a joint statement underpinning subsequent bilateral steps following the approval of the new regional plans, the Estonian defense ministry says.
The minister also expressed satisfaction about the progress made on Ukraine's move towards commencing the NATO membership process.
Wrap up in Vilnius for today. Dear @oleksiireznikov - we stand with Ukraine today, tomorrow and the days after. You will become a member of NATO, rather sooner than later. But at this moment it is important to help You to win this war. pic.twitter.com/1mpg5hjgNZ
— Hanno Pevkur (@HPevkur) July 11, 2023
Wednesday is the second and last day of the Vilnius Summit.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
