Baltic States – CIS, Energy, Estonia, EU – Baltic States, Gas, Legislation, Technology

Erkki Tuomioja and Keit Pentus-Rosimannus. Photo: flickr.com

"The security situation in Europe has changed greatly due to Russia's aggression in Ukraine and it has a major effect on the common border with Russia in those countries, such as Estonia and Finland," the Foreign Minister.

Commenting on the latest developments in the crisis in Ukraine, Pentus-Rosimannus said that Russia's non-compliance with the ceasefire and the continued transporting of Russian military hardware into the territory of Ukraine is escalating the military situation. "The European Union needs to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine and must act collectively if necessary. Ukraine must be able to regain full control of its territory and its border," the Foreign Minister added.

When speaking of regional cooperation, the main topic at the meeting was energy. "To ensure energy security, cooperation with Finland is very important," the Foreign Minister said and highlighted the gas pipeline Balticconnector connecting Finnish and Estonian gas networks and construction of the regional LNG terminal as main objectives.

On the subject of bilateral relations, Pentus-Rosimannus stressed that Finland is Estonia's most important trading partner and one of the largest investors in the Estonian economy. According to the Foreign Minister, in addition to strong business relationships, we have close links with Finland in the field of information and communication. The Foreign Minister pointed out the opportunity to use digital signatures in Estonia and Finland and the introduction of the Estonian X-Road in Finland as examples of our good cooperation. "Our goal is to continue to jointly provide X-Road solutions to all of Europe," Pentus-Rosimannus said.

The Foreign Minister expressed her pleasure over the success of the Estonian-Finnish diplomat exchange program, another example of effective cooperation between Estonia and Finland. "As of September, an Estonian diplomat is spending six months as an intern at the Finnish Embassy in Saudi Arabia," Pentus-Rosimannus said. "Estonia is ready to welcome Finnish diplomats to its embassies as well," she added. The Foreign Minister also thanked the Foreign Minister of Finland for being so courteous as to host the Estonian embassy at its representation in Canberra.

At the meeting, the Foreign Ministers also spoke about the latest developments in Syria and Iraq.

European Union topics of discussion included further enlargement, Eastern Partnership and the common digital market.