Together, Baltics can provide more effective assistance to Ukraine - Estonian minister

TALLINN – Estonia's Minister of the Interior Lauri Laanemets, who visited Lviv last week with his Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts at the invitation of Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, says that acting together, the Baltic countries can offer more effective assistance to Ukraine. 

The Estonian minister said the visit had two purposes. Firstly, the Baltic ministers wanted to know what Ukraine needs. Given the size of Ukraine and the scale of the consequences of the Russian aggression, now in its third year, the effect of the assistance provided by each of the Baltic countries separately is smaller than it would be if the three countries acted together.

"Figuratively speaking, what Latvians cannot give, we can, what Lithuanians don't have, Latvians have, and what we don't have, Lithuanians have," Laanemets said according to spokespeople.

Secondly, according to the Estonian minister, it is important to keep learning from the experiences of Ukraine.

"In standing up to the aggression, Ukrainians constantly have to address new challenges in internal security. In matters concerning civil protection and border security, the Baltic countries can learn a lot from Ukraine's experience -- starting with the risks associated with the development of drone technology and ending with sheltering and crisis readiness of the population," Laanemets said.

Deputy Secretary General of the Estonian Ministry of the Interior Tuuli Raim, who took part in the visit, said that we have a lot to learn from Ukraine in the field of civil protection, and therefore constant exchange of information, exchange of best practices and joint cooperation projects are very important. This is true of topics such as the organization of large-scale evacuation and sheltering, developing alert notification and increasing the crisis preparedness of residents.

Ihor Klymenko, the minister of the interior of Ukraine, described the Baltic countries as real friends of Ukraine.

"You have supported us over the years and we know you are ready to continue to do it. Thank you for your moral, financial and technical support. Thanks to your help, we can stand our ground today," the Ukrainian minister said.

During the visit, the Baltic ministers and officials familiarized themselves with the arrangements of civil protection in Ukraine, places of refuge and shelters, and exchanged views on helping Ukraine. The also visited a regional emergency response center and attended a graduation ceremony at the Lviv State University of Life Safety.