MP to Turkish FM: Baltic collective defense not complete without Sweden
The Baltic Sea region's collective defense is incomplete with Sweden's NATO membership, the chairman of the Riigikogu's National Defence Committee said during a meeting with Turkey's defense minister.
Kalev Stoicescu (Eesti 200) met with Yasar Güler in Tallinn on Wednesday during the defense minister's one-day visit to Estonia.
The chairman told Güler the recent damage to Balticconnector and undersea fiber-optic cables and bomb threats made to schools across the Baltics need to be taken "very seriously".
"NATO's collective defense must cover the entire Baltic Sea, including the underwater infrastructure," he said.
"Without Sweden, the collective defense of the Nordic-Baltic region is not complete. We hope that Sweden's accession to NATO will become a reality in the near future."
Turkey is currently holding up Sweden's accession to NATO.
Estonia and Turkey are in the strongest defense alliance in the world and Estonia wants the alliance to be even stronger, Stoicescu said.
Defense procurement contracts signed with Turkish companies during the minister's trip to Estonia would increase the country's capabilities, he said.
Estonia will buy 230 armored vehicles from Turkish companies for an approximate €200 million.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Helen Wright
