Estonian parliament speaker commends defense, security cooperation of Baltic states

TALLINN – Estonian parliament speaker Lauri Hussar at a meeting of the leaders of the parliaments of the Baltic countries and the presidium of the Baltic Assembly on Friday commended the cooperation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the field of security and defense and confirmed that the countries will continue to support Ukraine until Ukraine has won the war.

Hussar said at the meeting that the cooperation of the Baltic states during Estonia's presidency of the Baltic Assembly has been excellent both at the level of the parliament and the committees. At the same time, according to him, there are areas where cooperation could be improved.

"Cooperation in the field of security and defense has definitely been very effective and as a region we have played an important role in supporting Ukraine and exerting maximum diplomatic, political and economic pressure on Russia," he said, expressing the conviction that the Baltic states will continue to provide comprehensive support to Ukraine for as long as necessary.

Hussar also highlighted the cooperation of the Baltic states in the field of digital and cyber security and emphasized the importance of completing the Rail Baltic railway.

"Rail Baltic has been a priority for us because it not only increases the connectivity of our region, but also has great potential for military mobility," Hussar said.

However, according to him, cooperation between countries could be better in the energy sector.

"We need to put more emphasis on the desynchronization of power grids and the development of local sustainable energy production in order to accelerate the transition to green energy and develop a long-term strategy for the energy security and independence of the Baltic states," the parliament speaker said.

Lithuanian parliament speaker Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielse and Latvia's vice speaker Antonina Nenaseva are in Tallinn to attend the 42nd session of the Baltic Assembly taking place at the Estonian parliament on Friday. They will also visit the Artium culture and education center in Viimsi, near Tallinn, together with Hussar.