Estonia, US agree on common approach to 5G network security

TALLINN - Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas issued a statement together with United States' Vice President Mike Pence on Estonia and the US' common approach to the security of 5G, the fifth generation cellular network technology.

"We affirm that we are guided by common principles in the development of 5G networks. As a digital state, Estonia sees the credibility of new technologies as a top priority and the US is our most important ally in the field of security," Ratas said. "The statement issued together with the U.S. will send a strong signal that when it comes to the development of 5G networks, Estonia shares a similar understanding of security with its allies," the prime minister added.

The statement follows international principles regarding the secure development of 5G networks, which were agreed upon at the Prague 5G Security Conference in spring. According to this, countries are to take into consideration political, technical, legal and economic arguments as well as risk factors when building up 5G. The same principles have been confirmed by the European Commission's recommendations to the member states.

The Estonian prime minister also met with US National Security Adviser Robert O'Brien in Washington, DC on Thursday, with whom he discussed the future of NATO. "For Estonia, the best security guarantee is a strong NATO and I am glad that the presence of the alliance is increasingly noticeable in our region," Ratas said.

In addition, the prime minister along with Minister of Education and Research Mailis Reps on Thursday met with representatives of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States and Jewish organizations in the US. Ratas also took part in a roundtable of the US Chamber of Commerce and met with Axel van Trotsenburg, managing director of operations at the World Bank, to discuss investment possibilities connected with the Three Seas Initiative.