Baltic Assembly, Nordic Council agree on new cooperation priorities at annual summit

TALLINN - Between 2024 and 2026, cooperation between the Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council will mainly focus on cyber defense and the Eastern Partnership, the new list of cooperation priorities signed by the presidents of the Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council at their annual summit in Tallinn shows.

"The Baltic states and the Nordic countries hold a common opinion that Russia's aggression in Ukraine is a threat to our region and to the whole Europe. Therefore, we first agreed that we will help Ukraine in post-war reconstruction. We also need a comprehensive defense cooperation policy that includes cyber security as well as increasing the resilience of the Baltic and Nordic societies to the fake news and propaganda coming from authoritarian regimes," Timo Suslov, the president of the Baltic Assembly and the head of the Estonian delegation to the assembly, said according to spokespeople.

On behalf of the Nordic Council, the document was signed by the president of the Nordic Council, Jorodd Asphjell.

The list of cooperation priorities also includes supporting transition to democracy in the Eastern Partnership countries, energy security of the region, alignment of the transport and energy infrastructures and ensuring digital interoperability, mitigation of climate change and sustainable, energy efficient circular economy, as well as compatibility of education systems, including mutual recognition of higher education diplomas.

The annual summit of the Baltic Assembly and the Nordic Council started at 11 a.m. on Friday in the Conference Hall of the Riigikogu. The summit will have two panels that will focus on cyber defense cooperation and supporting the Eastern Partnership countries in transition to democracy. The sitting is chaired by the president of the Baltic Assembly, Timo Suslov.

Member of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly Enn Eesmaa and the chairman of the security committee of the Baltic Assembly, Peeter Tali, also participate in the sitting. Before the official start of the summit, the delegations visited the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Centre of Excellence in Tallinn.

The Baltic Assembly is a consultative cooperation body of the parliaments of the three Baltic states, which discusses issues of mutual interest. In 2023, the Baltic Assembly is chaired by Estonia.