Vilnius, Lithuania, 14 September 2018 – Today, Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of Lithuania, Saulius Skvernelis, Prime Minister of Lithuania, Māris Kučinskis, Prime Minister of Latvia, and Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, discussed in Vilnius the most pressing topics of the Salzburg Summit, which will be held next week.
Prime Minister Ratas highlighted the need to strengthen the internal security of the European Union. “Open internal borders depend on the strength of external borders,” he explained. According to Ratas, we need to strengthen the European Border and Coast Guard to more effectively organise the return of illegal migrants, modernise the infrastructure of the European Union’s external borders, and establish common requirements for the surveillance of external borders.
“Many threats, however, lie in our common cyberspace,” Ratas noted. “We focus our efforts on strengthening cyber defence and increasing the cyber security of elections. I think that the European Union needs a cyber security centre of excellence.”
During the meeting of Ratas and Merkel, the heads of government focused specifically on the development of digital cooperation between Estonia and Germany. According to Ratas, Estonia is ready to move on from the exchange of experience with Germany to more specific and practical joint digital projects.
“For example, in the future, Estonia and Germany could also build digital bridges in Africa together. After all, good cooperation in Africa is no stranger to us – Estonian troops have been acting together with German troops for two years in the UN mission in Mali,” Ratas said. Besides, Estonian and German explosive ordnance disposal specialists are working together in the NATO mission Resolute Support in Afghanistan.
According to the prime minister, it is strong trust and friendship that unite Estonia and Germany; the countries stick together in the matters of fulfilling the Minsk Agreements as well as in the development of cooperation with Eastern Partnership countries. “Germany is also a country that has contributed the most to the air policing of the Baltic states. At the moment, the servicemen of German Air Force are securing the Baltic airspace for the ninth time and I am glad to personally welcome them once again in the Ämari base at the beginning of November,” said Ratas.
Photos (Government Communication Unit): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/pxczvuoiqhh9a3u/AADmlntrsQ_pgz8kZ8vl2yBsa?dl=0
