"I will start cooperating with the Center Party, but I will not join the party," Kiili told ERR's Russian-language portal on Wednesday morning.

Kiili and Leo Kunnas were jointly offered the opportunity to support the Center Party on security issues.

"These are times when standing aside would be unreasonable. I assessed my abilities, potential, the work I have done and my health and realized that I am in excellent shape and have a lot to offer. I made my final decision after I was able to present my program and vision to the Center Party leadership. It was a series of substantive discussions and I felt that I was understood," Kiili said.

Discussing the main points of his program, Kiili emphasized the need to unite society on national defense issues.

"We must not divide society, but rather strengthen it. Defense is not just military defense; it is also public security. It means the economy, it means social ties," Kiili said.

Kiili left open the question of whether he would head the Center Party's candidate list in Ida-Viru County.

"I am from there and I live there. But we have not yet agreed where I will run," Kiili said.

Offers from other parties

He said he had also received offers of cooperation from other parties but had not held negotiations with them.

Kiili confirmed that Leo Kunnas will also run on the Center Party's list. Kiili said the two had consulted closely with each other, having also found considerable common ground in the current Riigikogu while serving on the National Defense Committee.

"Although we represented different parliamentary groups, we have a great deal in common. We were able to draw up a national defense report that crossed party lines. We share common views and understandings," Kiili said.

In an interview with "Aktuaalne kaamera," Kunnas said he had not been asked to formally join the Center Party. His role is expected to be to assist the party with his knowledge and expertise.

"I have a long-standing tradition of remaining outside political parties," he said. Kunnas confirmed, however, that he had agreed to run on the Center Party's candidate list.

On Wednesday morning, the Center Party sent the media an invitation to Toompea, where it said it would "introduce Riigikogu MPs who will begin cooperating with the Center Party parliamentary group and will run for parliament on the Center Party's list."

Center Party Chairman Mihhail Kõlvart said at a press conference that both Kunnas and Kiili bring expertise to the party. "The Center Party's broader goal today is to strengthen its expertise in every field," he added.

Kõlvart explained that security is currently the priority and that the Center Party's new members have a vision for how the defense sector should develop. "They have leadership experience and a conceptual proposal for the Center Party on what our election platform should contain," he said.

Kiili went on to say that shortcomings in Estonia's security became apparent while the national defense report was being prepared. "But the report is one thing and the other is something the public is not yet very aware of. In parallel, we began developing a conceptual program to address those shortcomings," he said.

Kiili prepared to become defense minister

In an interview with "Aktuaalne kaamera," Kiili said he would also be prepared to serve as Estonia's defense minister.

Kunnas, meanwhile, said he had been ready to draw a line under his political activities. "When I left active service in 2007, I did so because the institution of the commander of the defense forces was removed from the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia, after which the status of both the commander and the Defense Forces itself gradually weakened and the Defense Forces was stripped of several key functions necessary for conducting combat operations," he explained.

He now believes the institution of the commander of the defense forces could be strengthened again and that the Defense Forces could regain its core functions.

Kunnas considers it necessary to address all the shortcomings identified in the national defense report. He also sees strategic problems in how the country is governed. "Number one, we don't manage resources; number two, we don't manage people," he said.

--

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