The line will run north to south from Estonia to Lithuania, where it will meet Poland's equivalent defensive line, and has been necessitated by the changed security situation.

The minister made his remarks in the context of a meeting Friday in Daugavpils, Latvia, with his counterparts from Lithuania, and Poland, as well as from Latvia.

The four discussed possible EU financing of the Baltic Defense Line.

The minister said: "The Baltic Defense Line initiative has gotten off to a good start because the need is shared among the allies in the Baltic Sea region."
"For us, it is extremely important to coordinate our activities with Poland, but we also see potential for cooperation with northern allies, especially Finland," Minister Pevkur continued, via a press release.

"The need for a defense line stems from the security situation and supports NATO's new forward defense concept. At the same time, it strengthens the security of the European Union and the military defense of its borders, which is why we clearly see that the EU could also financially support the project," he added.

The Baltic Defense Line is essentially a complex of obstacle and field fortification measures designed to support the activities of defensive units at support points, to halt the advance of forces of aggression if necessary.

The elements will remain dispersed in the landscape, taking into account both the enemy's movements and environmental analysis, as well as the battle plans of the Defense Forces.

 Earlier this year, the Baltic defense ministers signed the agreement to establish the defensive line along their borders with Russia and Belarus, over the coming years.

The line will consist of various defensive structures to deter and, if necessary, defending against military threats.

In May, Poland announced a similar project, dubbed the Eastern Shield.

In parallel, the EU is considering joint defense initiatives aimed at enhancing the security of its member states.

During Friday's meeting, the defense ministers also received an overview of Ukraine's experience in building its defensive structures, and visited Latvia's defense installations in the Silene region.

The establishment of the Baltic Defense Line in Estonia is planned in three stages.

In the first two stages, 40 support points and 12 storage areas with full infrastructure will be constructed, to be followed by eight additional support points in phase three.

The concept for these defensive structures follows an agreement made at the NATO Summit in Madrid in 2022, which stresses that allies must be defended from the first yard, in line with the new regional defense plans.

The Estonian Centre for Defense Investment (RKIK) has signed contracts for the procurement of barrier materials, and the development process for bunker prototypes is underway.

--

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