Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur and Chief of Defence Major General Andrus Merilo met in Tallinn with NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Christopher Cavoli, who was in Estonia to receive the Order of the Cross of the Eagle I Class, awarded to him by the President of the Republic of Estonia, Alar Karis, at an official ceremony today.
“General Cavoli has rightfully earned the recognition of the President of the Republic through his dedication and outstanding work in strengthening NATO’s collective defence. His contribution to bolstering transatlantic relations and, thereby, Estonia’s security has been remarkable. From his first day in office, he has stressed the need to raise NATO’s readiness to be better prepared for collective defence operations. Under his leadership and military advice, new defence plans have been approved within NATO, and the necessary capability targets for their implementation have been established. Estonia’s military defence is significantly stronger thanks to General Cavoli,” said Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.
“At the same time, we took the opportunity with the Chief of Defence to discuss work-related matters and to deliberate on how to strengthen the defence of NATO’s eastern flank. We talked about the progress in ensuring the implementation of defence plans and preparations for the next NATO Summit. I can confirm that the Estonian positions and the views of the NATO SACEUR are very much aligned regarding the defence of NATO’s eastern flank,” added Minister Pevkur.
General Christopher Cavoli is a general in the US Army, who has been serving as NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe since July 1, 2022.
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Photo: Kaitseväe juhataja kindralmajor Andrus Merilo, NATO Euroop… | Flickr