NATO sets up air base in Estonia

Four F-16 fighter jets from the Danish Royal Air Force, together with a 60-member support team, arrived on Wednesday, April 30 to the northwest Estonian Amari air base, which will become the second Baltic States NATO air policing mission air base, besides the Lithuanian Siauliai base, reports Public Broadcasting.

The fighter planes will rotate every four months. Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Roivas told Public Broadcasting that the aim is to guarantee constant air security when planes are changed.

He said that the presence of the NATO planes affects most directly the fact that civil or military planes cannot fly uncontrolled in Estonian airspace.

"They will observe that what takes place in the Estonian air space is all legal and under control. But naturally, the NATO fighter planes have a clear symbolic message by our allies that says that Estonia's security represents the entire NATO security. And it is not just the Estonian state that contributes to guaranteeing Estonia's security, but also our partners," said Roivas.