TALLINN - During a discussion of Estonia's foreign policy in the parliament on Tuesday, chairman of the national defense committee of the Riigikogu Kalev Stoicescu said that Estonia should set a goal to join the Nordic Council.
"Before 2004, Estonia's primary goal was to anchor itself as strongly as possible in the democratic Western world, culminating in joining NATO and the European Union. At a time when a full-scale war is happening in Ukraine, we understand particularly well how timely Estonia's accession to these organizations was, which guarantee their members security, democracy, freedom, and prosperity," Stoicescu said, adding that a strong European Union and a strong NATO are vitally important for Estonia.
Stoicescu believes that Estonia needs to be more ambitious and aim to join the Nordic Council.
"The belief that we are not welcome there is erroneous. Just as in the 1990s, there wasn't exactly a welcoming committee for Estonia's entry into the European Union and NATO. However, the perception of our future allies towards Estonia's ambitions underwent a dramatic transformation once it became clear that our commitment was genuine and our efforts to achieve these objectives were relentless," he said.
The chairman of the national defense committee added that the world is on the brink of a new Cold War, where democratic countries are opposed by countries that reject and attack democracy.
"If we want a world order based on international law, not jungle law, in the future, then we must hold Russia accountable for its war crimes and the economic damage caused to Ukraine. Democratic countries, including Estonia, need to work harder so that we do not lose more ground elsewhere in the world. To ensure we have fewer regional conflicts, not more, and less threat of global conflict," Stoicescu said.
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