Estonian president discusses support for Ukraine with Croatian PM

  • 2023-01-12
  • BNS/TBT Staff

TALLINN – Estonian President Alar Karis and visiting Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic discussed deepening bilateral relations and the continued need to support Ukraine in Russia's war of aggression at a meeting on Thursday.

According to Karis, Estonia and Croatia enjoy excellent bilateral relations and last year also marked 30 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two states.

The head of state and the prime minister also discussed the possibilities of helping Ukraine.

"I am glad that our views on Ukraine coincide. We must increase both our practical and political support for Ukraine to help ensure victory on Ukraine's terms," Karis said. "We need unity in the European Union and NATO in the current security situation. We must continue to fully support Ukraine and raise the price of aggression for Russia with sanctions and shaping the price of energy carriers."

The president expressed his pleasure that, as NATO allies, Estonia and Croatia think alike on many issues, consider Russia to be the biggest threat to the allies' security and support the alliance's open door policy.

Karis also congratulated Croatia on joining the Schengen visa area and the eurozone.

"Croatia is a popular tourist destination among Estonians and joining the common visa area and the eurozone will definitely contribute to the increase in the number of visits," the president added.

Karis and Plenkovic also discussed the situation in the Western Balkans, including Russia's influence activities in the region. They also talked about energy security, diversification of energy sources, inflation caused by the rise in energy prices and the possibilities of mitigating its effects.