According to Prime Minister Kallas, Estonia and Sweden are good friends and strong allies, and by working together wisely we will increase both the security and competitiveness of our region. “One of the objectives of my visit was to strengthen business and economic contacts between Estonia and Sweden. Technology and innovation are the key to our future, and their development will benefit both Estonia and Sweden,” said Kallas.
“The defence industry, for example, is an area with great potential, where cooperation with the technology sector could develop and bring to the market innovative products. Investing in defence technology strengthens our security and boosts the economy. I encourage Estonian and Swedish companies to look for opportunities for cooperation. For example, the defence industry fund recently set up by the Estonian government is also open to Swedish companies. We are also inviting Swedish companies to apply for the NATO Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) in Estonia,” Kallas said. The prime minister also stressed that our broader goal could be to work together with Sweden and other Nordic countries to create a new Nordic innovation and tech valley in our region.
According to Prime Minister Kallas, Estonia and Sweden have both been strong supporters of Ukraine. “I thanked Sweden for their latest significant support package for Ukraine,” said Kallas, adding that our support for Ukraine will continue and that we must help Ukraine push Russia back to its borders. “Ending the grey zones is the peace that Europe needs – this means Ukraine must become a member of both the EU and NATO,” Kallas stressed. They also discussed the upcoming Ukraine Peace Summit.
Kallas also noted that the accession of Sweden to NATO has expanded our possibilities for cooperation and we must continue to work on improving Europe’s defence capabilities. “Looking ahead to the upcoming NATO Washington Summit, it is essential that all allies pledge to spend at least 2% of GDP on defence without delay, as agreed a decade ago. In fact, it would be necessary for all allies to spend at least 2.5% or 3% to close existing capability gaps and fully fund the new NATO defence plans,” the prime minister said.
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stenbockimaja/albums/72177720317637247
