Estonian parliament speaker: We support Eastern Partnership countries on their way to Europe

  • 2023-05-20
  • LETA/BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN - Estonian parliament speaker Lauri Hussar said at the Eastern Partnership conference of the Baltic Assembly on Friday that helping partner countries wishing to join the European Union in their integration into Europe must continue.

In his speech, Hussar stressed that the situation in Europe has undergone a fundamental change since the beginning of the Eastern Partnership in 2009.

"Russia's aggression against Ukraine has lasted for over a year, Moldova is facing very big challenges, the people of Belarus are oppressed by an increasingly brutal dictatorial regime, and tensions persist in the South Caucasus," he said, affirming that for Estonia, it is crystal clear that our military, economic and political support for Ukraine will continue steadfastly until Ukraine wins.

"At the same time, the countries that want to join the European Union need the help of the Baltic countries right now and this must be done within the framework of the Eastern Partnership," the parliament speaker said.

"In 2022, the European Union made historic decisions by granting Ukraine and Moldova the status of a candidate country of the European Union and giving Georgia a clear European perspective," he added, affirming that this process will continue.

"The Baltic states are working to strengthen and deepen the political and economic ties between the EU member states and the Eastern Partnership countries and to support the implementation of sustainable reforms in the Eastern Partnership countries," Hussar said.

The Eastern Partnership conference of the Baltic Assembly was chaired by Urve Tiidus, president of the Baltic Assembly. The speaker of the Latvian parliament Edvards Smiltens and the speaker of the Lithuanian parliament Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen also participated in the conference. The Estonian parliament speaker, together with the speakers of the Latvian and Lithuanian parliaments, also visited the Freedom School, where Ukrainian children study.

The Baltic Assembly is a consultative cooperation organization of the parliaments of the three Baltic states, which discusses issues of mutual interest. In 2023, the Baltic Assembly is chaired by Estonia. The guiding principle of Estonia's presidency is a resilient, safe, reliable and sustainable Baltic region.