According to Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, Estonia and Croatia are good partners in the European Union and allies in NATO. “I am delighted to welcome Croatia as a new member of the eurozone and the Schengen area,” said Kallas. The Prime Minister highlighted the good bilateral cooperation with Croatia. “For many years now, our citizens have been able to use digital prescriptions mutually,” said Kallas. “There’s certainly potential to increase cooperation, for example in the fields of innovation and new technologies.” The Prime Minister also thanked Croatia for defending NATO’s eastern flank – Croatian soldiers are in a NATO battle group in Poland.
The prime ministers also discussed support for Ukraine at the meeting. “Our views are the same as Croatia’s, we see the Russian threat in a similar way,” said Kallas. “Russia is the aggressor in Ukraine and is also wreaking havoc in other regions, such as the Western Balkans. Our priority is to step up both our practical and political support for Ukraine to help ensure Ukraine’s victory.” The Prime Minister added that military aid to Ukraine must be increased even more. “We’ve seen a number of countries announce new and effective military aid consignments to Ukraine,” said Kallas. “I continue to reiterate my appeal to allies and partners – check your stocks and reserves, and send weapons to Ukraine. This is the way to peace.”
The Estonian Prime Minister emphasised that we must also continue to increase the price of the aggression for Russia. “Strengthening the sanctions imposed on Russian energy carriers is important here,” said Kallas. “For example, the price cap on Russian oil should be lowered even further and a review of this should start soon.”
We also need to find a way to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. “Our interest is that the European Union finds common solutions,” explained Kallas. “Estonia has been actively pushing this issue and in October, EU leaders tasked the European Commission with finding solutions as soon as possible. We’re now looking forward to specific proposals from the Commission. I’ve also instructed the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to investigate the possibilities offered by Estonian legislation in this regard.”
The Prime Minister highlighted the critical importance of bringing war criminals to justice. “We must find a way to move forward with the establishment of a special court for crimes of aggression,” she added.
The situation in the Western Balkans was also discussed at the meeting. Cooperation with the European Union and NATO has been beneficial for the region and it is important that it continues. At the recent EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tirana, it was also emphasised that, in the changed security situation, we need to step up our cooperation and support for the countries that share our values. “Croatia is an excellent example of successful integration for the whole region,” emphasised Kallas.
Gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stenbockimaja/albums/72177720305181902
