Press Release no 33 Estonian and Finnish Defence Ministers Discussed Future Cooperation

\"Defence matters are always special for an independent country and for a country belonging to EU, it is not the private interest of one Ministry. It is for the interest and benefit of the whole country,\" said Jõerüüt at the meeting.
After Estonia joined the EU and NATO last spring, the Estonian Embassy in Helsinki became the NATO contact embassy in Finland, and in the EU the countries are working together as two equal member states, Jõerüüt observed.
In the future Nordic battle group only Estonia of the two countries belongs to both NATO and the EU. This gives the Baltic state a unique position of being able to have its say in and join as a full member decision-making processes in both organizations.
The ministers found that the formation of the Nordic battle group has changed the content of defence cooperation.
\"The fact that countries of both NATO and the EU participate (in battle groups) signals first and foremost integration in security issues and cooperation between different security organizations,\" the Finnish Minister of Defence Seppo Kääriäinen said.
It is politically important for Estonia to be among founders rather than later joiners of a battle group, Jõerüüt observed.
The Finnish defence minister also met with Sven Mikser, chairman of the parliamentary national defence committee. They discussed mainly the EU defence cooperation and in particular the future of the Nordic battle group. Kääriäinen also discussed the competence of the Estonian parliament in debating the basics of national security policy.
Estonia will contribute to the Nordic battle group a guard platoon, staff officers, logisticians and medics. In accordance with the government\'s decision, up to 45 soldiers in all can be sent to the unit.
The Nordic battle group is to be operational by Jan. 1, 2008. Sweden is the lead country of the unit which includes also Finland, Norway and Estonia.