Paet meets with policy leaders

TALLINN - On April 8, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet met with the president of the American think tank the Brookings Institution and former American under-Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, and former foreign policy leader of the European Union Javier Solana to discuss Estonia’s activities in NATO and the European Union, as well as developments in Russia, Ukraine and Georgia. Paet stated that Talbott’s work as an important creator of American foreign policy during the presidency of Bill Clinton set a foundation for Estonia and many other nations to join NATO. “Now, as a member of NATO and the European Union, Estonia has become a strong supporter of extending the values of these organizations,” said Paet.

“We feel it is especially important to share our experiences with acceding states. Estonia and other like-minded nations are attempting to support the European Union’s Eastern Partners and keep them in focus. Within the framework of these endeavors, we plan to establish an Eastern Partnership training center at Tallinn’s Estonian School of Diplomacy,” said Paet. He also noted that co-operation and exchanging ideas with various think tanks, including the experts at the Brookings Institute, will certainly be helpful for the establishment of the training center.

Another topic discussed was European Union-U.S. co-operation. According to Paet, close co-operation between the two is the basis for stability, economic growth, and lasting development in the Euro-Atlantic region. “The partnership between the European Union and the U.S. differs from all others due to the unique closeness of its values and interests,” said Paet. “Estonia supports EU-USA co-operation becoming more effective through practical and coordinated activities, primarily in the areas of energy, interior and justice matters, development co-operation, and various regional issues,” the foreign minister added.

Relations with Russia were also discussed at the meeting. In talking about NATO-Russia relations, Paet and Talbott acknowledged that relations with Russia must be discussed regularly within the alliance so that the alliance can be unified in its positions. “The topic of NATO-Russia relations will also be one of the topics discussed within the framework of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting to be held in Tallinn, from April 22 - 23,” Paet noted. “Russia is an important partner to the alliance, but partnership must be based on mutual interest,” he added.
“In the near future, we will be joining the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, where in addition to participating in the expert experiences and analyses of other countries, we can also share our own reform experiences on an even wider scale,” Paet said. Paet also emphasized Estonia’s efforts and desire to fulfill all the criteria to join the euro zone on Jan. 1, 2011.

Talbott and Solana recognized Estonia for its success thus far in international organizations and in coming to terms with the economic crisis.
According to the ministry of foreign affairs, the foreign ministers of nations  contributing to ISAF in Afghanistan will also gather in Tallinn to discuss developments in Afghanistan. “We will discuss opportunities and terms for starting to hand security responsibilities over to the Afghan authorities, as well as issues related to training the Afghan security forces,” said Paet. “We will discuss the basic principles of handing responsibility for security over to the Afghan authorities at the Tallinn meeting. There are also plans to update the political-military plan of NATO’s extensive strategy,” explained the Estonian foreign minister.

Paet stresses that one of the main topics of the foreign ministers’ meeting in Tallinn will be the renewing of NATO’s Strategic Concept. “For Estonia, it is important how the new Strategic Concept will reflect collective defense as the primary responsibility of NATO. Estonia is satisfied with the process of developing the new Strategic Concept, in which we have actively participated,” Paet explained.

Paet said that Estonia continues to support the decisions made at the NATO summits in Bucharest and Strasbourg-Kehl regarding the creation of a NATO missile defense system. “The goal of the NATO missile defense system is to protect the population and territory of the entire alliance from all sources of danger,” said Paet. In talking about NATO’s nuclear policy, Paet noted that nuclear deterrence is still one of the pillars of the alliance. “The predictability of the global security environment has decreased, and the need for reliable deterrence remains great,” noted Paet.

The NATO foreign ministers will also discuss further NATO enlargement, including the giving of a Membership Action Plan (MAP) to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Estonia supports giving a MAP to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Representatives from 45 nations and several international organizations are expected in Tallinn for the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting.