Stenbock House, 21. October – Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas discussed the security situation in the Baltic Sea, the positions for the upcoming European Council and economic cooperation with the Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Löfven during his visit to Estonia today.
Both Prime Ministers found the intelligence operation in Swedish waters to be a concerning matter. “Incidents and military activity in our area is increasing and we discussed the cooperation in changing circumstances,” said Rõivas. Löfven also stressed the importance of good neighbour relations in defence issues.
The Prime Ministers found that the cooperation between Estonia and Sweden in the area of defence is in a good state and is reflected, among other things, by Sweden’s continuous support to the Baltic Defence College, joint procurement and cooperation in training Estonian servicemen. “The fact that the positions of Estonia and Sweden on the issue of the Ukrainian crisis overlap reflects the solid alliance between the two countries in the Baltic Sea Region,” said Rõivas. “We also value the cyber cooperation between Estonia and Sweden. Sweden has, on a project basis, participated in the work of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. I hope that Sweden will also send their expert to work in the centre."
This week, both Rõivas and Löfven will join other Heads of Government in the European Council meeting in Brussels, of which Estonia as well as Sweden expect an agreement on the 2030 policy framework for climate and energy. “We know that Sweden is one of the major supporters of the European Union climate policy and Estonia also supports the most important objectives of the 2030 policy framework for climate and energy,” said Rõivas. “We hope that constructive discussions in Brussels will lead to ambitious environmental sustainability that would also take into account maintaining the competition of the Estonian oil shale sector. A technological transition from electricity production to fuels adds value to resources and conserves the environment."
The Prime Ministers also discussed economic cooperation – Sweden is holding its position being first in direct investments and Estonian export compared to other countries. In the first half of 2014, the total of direct investments made to Estonia was 15.8 billion euros, the Swedish share of which was 26.5 %. Löfven also stressed the importance of economic cooperation, especially in the digital area. The Prime Ministers confirmed that mutual relations between Estonia and Sweden are very good and the communication on different levels and in various areas is close.
The Prime Minister of Sweden, Stefan Löfven, took office on 3 October.