President Ilves: Article 5 of the NATO Charter will remain in force when new risks arise
Friday, 04 April 2008 12:03
President Toomas Hendrik Ilves participated on the panel of The Bucharest Conference organized by the German Marshall Fund, along with Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacani, former SACEUR General Joseph Ralston, and Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, to discuss the current role of Article 5 of the NATO Charter.
President Ilves stressed that the historical and traditional role of Article 5 will remain even when new security risks arise in the form of energy and cybersecurity. “We should avoid the assessment of military risks changing into politically correct texts, since this prevents one from reacting to actual dangers.”
Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, who participated on the conference panel with the Estonian Head of State, stressed that if the alliance does not carry out sufficient military exercises, fears may arise in the countries subject to risk, primarily the East European countries, about the actual strength of Article 5.
The Estonian Head of State also spoke at a conference of Young Atlanticists, a youth organization that deals with NATO topics. The Head of State spoke about Estonia’s experiences in joining NATO, the future and enlargement of the alliance, as well as new security threats in the energy and cybersecurity field.
Office of the President
Public Relations Department
Phone +372 631 6229