Today, meeting in Paris with leaders in the French defence and security sectors, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence Kusti Salm noted that relations between Estonia and France in defence matters are at an all-time high.
"Our understandings of the threat posed by Russia, the challenges facing NATO, and the continuous assistance to Ukraine are very similar. Estonia has been an active contributor to French-led operations in Africa, and since 2017, France has made a strong contribution to the NATO Battlegroup stationed in Estonia. The agreements signed yesterday between Estonia and France for the acquisition of Mistral missile systems and missiles, as well as Caesar self-propelled howitzers, further deepen our defence cooperation," said Salm.
Salm met with Patrick Pailloux, Chief of Staff to the French Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu, and Admiral Pierre Vandier, Deputy Chief of the French Armed Forces, who is soon to lead NATO's Allied Command Transformation, one of the alliance's two strategic level commands.
"I am pleased to note that Admiral Vandier shares Estonia's understanding that NATO's capability development processes must become significantly faster to eliminate the alliance's critical capability gaps," said the Permanent Secretary.
Salm also met with President Emmanuel Macron's strategic advisor Xavier Chatel and Bertrand Buchwalter, advisor for continental Europe and Turkey, to discuss the developments of the war in Ukraine and the challenges facing NATO and the European Union.
Photos from meetings: Kantsler Salm ja Xavier Chatel (20.06.2024) | Kaitseministeerium | Flickr
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