President Karis assures Haavisto that Estonia supports Finland’s NATO accession

At the meeting with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, President Alar Karis confirmed the strong support of Estonia for Finland's accession to NATO and readiness to contribute to the smooth integration of Finland into the political and military structures of NATO.

Speaking about support for Ukraine, President Karis said that, above all, Ukraine needs urgent assistance to survive the winter and to restore its energy system. "All the decisions taken in support of Ukraine are right and they must be rapidly implemented," said President Karis. "We certainly need to continue to strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities, both bilaterally and at EU level, and I'm pleased that we've acted decisively on this."

"Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine has been going on for almost a year," said the Estonian Head of State. "We must act to help Ukraine win, to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity and to achieve peace on Ukraine's terms. The European Union has done a lot, but sanctions can be tightened even further."

The Estonian Head of State thanked Finland for its readiness to assist Estonia in receiving Ukrainian war refugees and for its good cooperation in border management.

Speaking about bilateral relations, President Karis said that the ties between Estonia and Finland are closely intertwined and the digital cooperation has practical value for both our business sector and people. He added that, looking ahead, joint action in the fields of the green transition and energy is essential to achieve independence from the Russian electricity market.

The Estonian Head of State and the Finnish Foreign Minister also spoke about cooperation with African countries and the Arctic Council.

Photos: Marko Mumm