Baltic Assembly adopts statements in support of Greenland and Ukraine

TALLINN - The Presidium of the Baltic Assembly has adopted two statements, one expressing solidarity with Greenland and Denmark, and the other stressing the need to maintain European unity in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

In a statement on the future of Greenland and European democracy, Timo Suslov, President of the Presidium of the Baltic Assembly (BA), the cooperation body of the Baltic parliaments, and Vice Presidents Giedrius Drukteinis and Jānis Vucāns, who met in Vilnius, Lithuania, emphasized the BA's complete solidarity with the Nordic countries.

"The Baltic states firmly support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Denmark and are committed to developing further joint European Union steps to protect democracy in Europe," the presidents affirmed in the statement, recalling that all decisions concerning Greenland are solely for the people of Greenland and Denmark to make.

They also emphasized that both the USA and Denmark are NATO members, which is sufficient for resolving security-related issues in the Arctic region.

The presidents also adopted a statement on Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and international efforts to end it. They stressed that Europe's approach to ending the war must be unified. "Europe's lasting unity is essential in supporting Ukraine and in efforts to end the aggression, both for maintaining security and for safeguarding fundamental European values," the statement reads.

The presidents emphasize that substantive negotiations to end the war cannot take place as long as Russia's missile and drone attacks against Ukraine continue, and therefore, a comprehensive and verifiable ceasefire is a prerequisite for any credible diplomatic process.

"We emphasize that any peace process must be conducted in accordance with international law and with the full consent of Ukraine," they noted.

Meetings of the BA's Economics, Energy and Innovation Committee and the Budget and Audit Committee were also held in Vilnius today.

The Baltic Assembly is a consultative cooperation organization of the parliaments of the three Baltic states, which discusses issues of mutual interest. The head of the Estonian delegation to the BA is Timo Suslov and the deputy head is Enn Eesmaa, and its members are Arvo Aller, Aleksei Jevgrafov, Meelis Kiili, Irja Lutsar, Tiit Maran, Marek Reinaas, Helir-Valdor Seeder, Margit Sutrop, and Peeter Tali.