The Commander of Estonian Defence Forces, General Martin Herem, visited Finland this week, where he discussed cooperation between the defence forces with the Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, General Timo Kivinen.
The Commander of Estonian Defence Forces, General Martin Herem, visited Finland this week, where he discussed cooperation between the defence forces with the Commander of the Finnish Defence Forces, General Timo Kivinen.
“Finland’s accession to NATO is of significant importance for the security of our region. The cooperation between our countries and the defence forces has always been good, but with cooperation in the framework of NATO, it will undoubtedly rise to a new level and we will be able to support each other even more, ” said General Herem. “We have a common understanding with Finland on many issues – both in terms of understanding the current security situation and a need for development of new necessary capabilities, as well in implementing and valuing the reserve army model.”
During the meeting with General Kivinen, General Herem got an overview of the activities and current situation of the Finnish Defence Forces. Also discussed were the war in Ukraine, Finland’s integration into NATO, bilateral defense cooperation between Estonia and Finland, and opportunities for cooperation and information exchange at the level of different commands.
“We are now in the Alliance and that will also further deepen our bilateral co-operation,” said general Kivinen.
During the visit, General Herem also met with Finnish Minister of Defence Antti Kaikkonen and Commander of the Finnish Navy, Rear Admiral Jori Harju.
The defence forces of Finland and Estonia are united by decades of multifaceted cooperation. Finland has supported the Estonian Defence Forces in officer training, each year they mutually participate in each other’s training and exercises and the nations jointly contributed to the UN peacekeeping operation UNIFIL in Lebanon. Among other things, Estonia and Finland have jointly procured air surveillance radars, mobile artillery and ammunition.
