Estonian ForMin secgen meets with Nordic, Baltic counterparts in Vilnius

TALLINN – Jonatan Vseviov, secretary general of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is on a visit to Vilnius on March 29 and 30 for the traditional meeting with the secretaries general of the foreign ministries of Nordic-Baltic states (NB8), with Russia’s war against Ukraine and its impact on our region’s security at the top of the agenda.

At the meeting, Vseviov underlined that the pressure on Russia to end its war against Ukraine must continue. "The price of the aggression must be intolerably high for Russia. To this end, it is crucial to continue imposing additional sanctions and offering every assistance to Ukraine. We must make sure that the aggression results in the strategic failure of the aggressor," the secretary general said.

Touching on regional security, Vseviov noted the key importance of European and transatlantic unity. "NATO and the transatlantic partnership have a central role in ensuring our security and it is also our greatest strength. Therefore, it is important to make quick progress with reinforcing NATO’s defense and deterrence posture in the region," Vseviov said.

The secretaries general also spoke about NB8 cooperation in supporting Ukraine. "We will continue our comprehensive efforts to respond to Ukraine’s needs together and help them fight Russia’s war to protect their own country and people and the security and values of all of Europe," the secretary general said. He highlighted that Estonia supported giving Ukraine EU candidate country status as soon as possible.

The secretaries general also spoke about the challenges of regional energy and raw material dependency, as well as the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council.

Vseviov had bilateral meetings at the office of the president of Lithuania, the Ministry of Defense, the prime minister’s office and a discussion with ambassadors of countries contributing to Baltic security. The secretary general also gave a lecture to international relations students at Vilnius University on Russia’s war against Ukraine and the future of the transatlantic security architecture.