"We've read about it in the press and asked Kusti Salm and [EDF commander Gen.] Martin Herem, with the finance minister also trying to work out a plan for munitions procurements. But we haven't... they have made no official proposal so we could say someone has been against it. No! There has been no such debate," Kallas said during the government press conference Thursday.

Kallas, Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) and Minister of the Interior Lauri Läänemets (SDE) commented on Kusti Salm's criticism aimed at politicians, following his resignation announcement Wednesday. Salm has suggested that politicians are stalling approving €1.6 billion in additional defense funding for munitions purchases.

The prime minister said that the government has been hiking defense spending and has never rejected the Ministry of Defense's requests. But she also spoke of the difficult situation of the state budget and the unpopularity of tax hikes. Finding another €1.6 billion would require five times as much money as Estonia's looming car tax is forecast to yield, the head of government pointed out.

"What I mean to say is that we have taken all national defense priorities seriously, which I can demonstrate in more than words by producing figures to show that they've gotten what they've asked for every time. That is why I feel like these allegations have been blown out of proportion and do not really understand their purpose. We have not been able to discuss the €1.6 billion in question to address these very matters," Kallas remarked.

The prime minister also stressed that officials cannot make decisions in place of publicly elected politicians.

"We have laws that tell us how decisions are made, and the fact of the matter is that decisions are made by politicians. For example, the way a new Defense Forces commander is picked is that the defense minister proposes a candidate and the government will decide, whereas the minister must also consider the opinion of the Riigikogu National Defense Committee. The decision is not up to the permanent secretary even though he has a role to play. If a person wants to be involved in politics and in making these decisions, they'll need to run in elections first," Kallas said.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!