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Estonian President met with the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament

11.10.2007

At today’s meeting in Kadriorg between President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Sauli Niinistö, the Speaker of the Parliament of Finland, the relations between the European Union and NATO, cooperation for the preservation the Baltic Sea, cyber-defence and developments in Russia were discussed.

“We see the European Union and NATO as organizations that are mutually complementary, which often deal with problems and crises in the same region,” President Ilves stated. “Close cooperation allows existing resources to be used rationally, while the lack of such cooperation puts the lives of the people participating in our missions at risk. Therefore, individual member states should not block essential cooperation based on narrow national interests.”

Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Niinistö raised the topic of the Baltic Sea, which has virtually become an inland sea of the European Union. “Protecting and preserving the Baltic Sea and cooperation in this direction is very important to all of us,” asserted the Estonian Head of State.

Speaking about cyber attacks, President Ilves called them new asymmetric threats that can threaten all developed countries in the world that actively use IT systems.

“Cyberattacks can be fought effectively only by close international cooperation. Estonia possesses specialists and expert knowledge on repelling cyberattacks, and we are ready to share our experience with our partners,” said the Estonian Head of State. “In order to guarantee cybersecurity, an international legal space and domestic legal space must be designed, and an institutional framework created.”

President Ilves also said that Estonia is in the process of formulating a national strategy for cybersecurity and noted that every country should map their vulnerable cybersecurity points and take domestic measures to guarantee cybersecurity.

Developments in Russia, which both Estonia and Finland attentively monitor, were also discussed at the meeting.

Speaking about Estonian-Russian relations, President Ilves emphasized the importance of intensifying regional and cross-border cooperation, the environmental problems in the Baltic Sea Region, nuclear safety, and issues related to the transport infrastructure for energy carriers.

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