Commander of the French Defence Forces thanked Major General Terras for the support given by the Estonian government and stressed that Estonia’s expected decision to send an infantry platoon is remarkable and also supportive and not a purely flag raising mission. “Estonia’s fast response assisted the European Union to quickly and admirably take action,” stressed the French Defence Chief.
Admiral Guillaud gave an overview on the security situation in the Central African Republic as well as France’s further steps to mitigate the humanitarian situation and assist in restoring stability.
According to Major General Terras, it is imperative for Estonia that the European Union military cooperation be a realistic mission with application where it is mostly needed. “The planning of the joint French and Estonian mission in the Central African Republic motivated a debate in the European Union about the respective merits of the mission and has currently brought several potential contributors to the table,” he added.
Major General Riho Terras familiarized his French colleague with the planned operation’s preparations and confirmed, that the government of the Republic of Estonia has submitted a draft resolution to parliament, upon approval which, Estonia is ready as of February 28th to deploy a platoon size unit and support element for a four month mission.
The Estonian and French Commanders met in Brussels at a NATO military committee assembly.