The prime minister made his remarks during an official visit – his first as head of government – to Finland on Wednesday, where he met with his Finnish counterpart Petteri Orpo.

The two leaders held a joint press conference, where the Balticconnector incident dominated the questions from journalists.

Finnish public broadcaster Yle reports Michal and Orpo responded in unison, briefly stating that the investigation is ongoing.

This followed Monday's exclusive in the South China Morning Post which reported China has admitted culpability in the incident.

A Hong Kong-flagged cargo vessel's dragging anchor is suspected to have caused the rupture, which was not fixed until April, as well as damage to an adjacent telecoms cable operated by Elisa, and another further to the west, off Hiiumaa.

Improving economic competitiveness and addressing current security issues including support for Ukraine and increased defense spend were both on the table, Yle reports.

Both countries border Russia, and Finland joined NATO last year.

Prime Minister Michal said. "Security and the economy are the main topics. Regarding security, this includes Russia's actions and support for Ukraine."

"It's clear that both countries have a very strong common ground that only force can stop Putin's Russia. The other focus is on the economy, which we are discussing together. It's no secret that Finland is Estonia's number one economic partner."

"It's clear that Russia is a permanent threat. [Russian President] Vladimir Putin only respects strength," Prime Minister Orpo aded.

Fostering cooperation between the defense industries of the two countries and attracting new investments to the region is also important, Michal said.

"This autumn, there will be a meeting between the defense industry associations of the two countries to discuss cooperation. Estonia is about to introduce the largest support package for the defense industry in its history—€400 million over four years, via which we can help Ukraine. I believe we could cooperate with Finland and other countries on this, as Finland has a long tradition and capabilities in the defense industry," he said.

While Finnish prime ministers traditionally make their first foreign visit to Sweden. Petteri Orpo, who entered office in June last year and replaced Sanna Marin, bucked that trend by choosing to visit Finland's southern neighbor first – as current President Alexander Stubb did back when he was prime minister of Finland, a decade ago.

On becoming head of government, Kristen Michal has reciprocated by making Finland the destination of his inaugural visit.

The pair met on Tuesday in a more informal setting (ie. the sauna) first, Orpo said – though the topics for discussion then were not light-hearted either: Russia, EU politics and the everyday life of the two countries being the main ones.

"Our cooperation with Estonia has been strong and is stronger today than ever before," Orpo said Wednesday.

Prime Minsiter Michal also met with President Alexander Stubb at the latter's summer residence.

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