Estonian Presidency of the BA will focus on security and climate crisis

Last week the Estonian Delegation to the Baltic Assembly (BA) participated in the 41st Session of the Baltic Assembly and the 28th Baltic Council in Riga, Latvia, where Latvia handed the BA Presidency over to Estonia and Head of the Estonian Delegation to the BA Aadu Must was elected the new President of the BA.

According to the Deputy Head of the Estonian Delegation to the BA Sven Sester, Estonia takes over the presidency of the Baltic Assembly with a strong will to continue building up a resilient, secure, reliable and sustainable Baltic region, which is especially important during the times there is a war going on in Europe. “By joining forces, we will also have greater capability and opportunities to deal with the challenges posed by Russia’s invasion, such as the economic and humanitarian crisis, energy security, disinformation and common concerns about the security of the Baltic States,” he said.

“Another challenge we will have to deal with in 2023 is the global warming, which will lead to catastrophic consequences, such as extinction of species and increased inequality,” Sester added and pointed out that the green transition had to be both effective and fair towards all. In his opinion, it is also important to deal with the challenges in education and culture, with cultural relations and media cooperation, vocational and technical education as well as strengthening the coordination between cultural and educational institutions. The Baltic Assembly will also continue to act as a bridge between the Eastern Partnership countries and the Nordic Countries, Benelux, Visegrad countries and other European countries.

President of the Riigikogu The unicameral parliament of Estonia. (Parliament of Estonia)  Jüri Ratas Estonian politician.  delivered a speech at the BA Session and emphasised that the Baltic cooperation in security and defence has for a long time been considered one of the brightest examples of Baltic unity. “Since Russia’s act of aggression, the Baltic States have distinguished themselves in the field of security, and have cooperated more closely than ever before. Our support to Ukraine has been tangible, visible, and audible, and remarkably substantial on the global scale,” Ratas said. He underlined that close cooperation in strengthening deterrence and defence in the region also played an important part in developing NATO collective defence. “Together we can reinforce our messages to NATO allies, draw attention to the security challenges in the region, and affirm the commitment of the Baltic States to ensure sustainable funding for national defence,” he added.

Ratas said that besides resolving the security crisis, it was also necessary to find a clear and efficient solution to the largest energy crisis of the last decades. “We urgently need new and alternative energy sources that are not dependent of the whims of aggressive or undemocratic countries and do not drive the Baltic States and the rest of Europe into a corner or force them to go back on their principles or support for Ukraine. I firmly believe that as a region we have the strength and the will to find a common approach,” the President of the Riigikogu The unicameral parliament of Estonia. stated.