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The Minister of Defence begins visit to Afghanistan

17. October 2006 - 11:34
For the next two days, the Minister of Defence, Mr. Ligi, will visit Afghanistan where he plans to meet with Estonian units serving in Afghanistan, the Afghan Defence Minister Mr. Abdul Rahim Wardak, the Commander of ISAF (International Security Assistanc

Estonia has been participating in the ISAF operation since 2003 and currently has 79 members of the Estonian Defence Forces serving in the operation. This figure is due to increase to 120 by the end of the year.

The ISAF operation in Afghanistan is NATO’s biggest and most important operation. The objective of ISAF is to provide security and assistance in the reconstruction of Afghanistan together with other international organisations (incl. the UN and EU) in order to prevent Afghanistan from once again becoming a security threat, as was the case prior to September 2001.

Therefore, the NATO-led operation ISAF in Afghanistan is a top priority for Estonia too. In the near future, Estonia will increase its contribution to reconstruction in Afghanistan by one civilian expert as well as the provision of development assistance. The majority of Estonian units are located in the Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, together with the UK and Danish forces. The joint goal of the countries contributing troops, including Estonia, is to assist the Afghan Government in providing a secure environment in the Helmand province and in creating the necessary conditions to improve the day-to-day life of the local people. In addition to reconstruction activities, the goal of ISAF in southern Afghanistan is to improve the security environment and assist the Afghan Government in the fight against drugs. Currently, 90% of the heroin circulating in Europe comes from Afghanistan.

The Minister of Defence is being accompanied by the Deputy Undersecretaries of the Ministry of Defence, Mr. Lauri Lindström and Mr. Lauri Tumm, as well as the Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Estonian Defence Forces, Mr Neeme Väli, and other employees of the Ministry of Defence.

About the background:
On 7th December 2005, the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) extended the participation of members of the Estonian Defence Forces in the ISAF operation in Afghanistan by 2 years, with up to 150 members of the Estonian Defence Forces in total. All NATO nations participate in ISAF – which amounts to 37 members states and partner countries. The legal basis for ISAF is provided by the resolution no.s 1386, 1413, 1444, and 1510 of the UN Security Council.