08.11.2011
Today, at the Pentagon, Minister of Defence Laar met with Under Secretary Michèle Flournoy, who acknowledged Estonia for the planned increase in the defence budget to two per cent of gross domestic product.
At the meeting, among other topics, Laar and Flournoy discussed issues related to bilateral defence cooperation between Estonia and the USA, NATO’s Chicago summit, taking place in the spring, NATO’s collective defence, cyber defence and the Baltic air-policing mission.
At the meeting, Under Secretary of Defence for Policy of the United States Flournoy thanked Estonia for its planned defence budget increase to two per cent of gross domestic product, which sets an example for all of NATO during these difficult times. Flournoy also acknowledged Estonia for its remarkable contribution to foreign missions and to the development of cyber defence.
After the meeting, Minister of Defence Laar said that as a member of NATO Estonia is not only interested in enjoying security, but also in contributing to security. “Cyber defence is a good example of a field where Estonia’s opinions are welcomed and taken into account and where Estonia is considered one of the “big NATO countries”,” said Laar.
Today, Minister of Defence Laar will also visit NATO’s Allied Command Transformation (ACT), based in Norfolk, and discuss issues related to the cooperation of the NATO Cyber Defence Centre in Tallinn and ACT with General Stéphane Abrial, Commander of Allied Command Transformation.
The Minister of Defence will return to Estonia on Thursday.
Additional information:
Peeter Kuimet
Press Officer, Ministry of Defence
Tel +372 717 0116 / +372 56 56 41 88
[email protected]