Poland seeks to boost security partnership with Estonia
Poland aims to sign a security cooperation agreement with Estonia in Tallin in May, the Polish defence minister has said after meeting with his Estonian counterpart.
Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz and Hanno Pevkur held talks in Warsaw on Friday, as both countries continue to strengthen their security partnership through defence agreements and joint initiatives, driven by mutual concerns over regional stability and hybrid threats.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Kosiniak-Kamysz said the two sides hope to sign "an agreement on security guarantees and cooperation" on May 21 in Tallinn.
He also said both ministers had reaffirmed the alliance commitments between Poland and Estonia.
"Poland will fulfil all obligations arising from the North Atlantic Treaty, in particular Article 5 [of collective defence]", he said.
"I would like to assure the minister [Pevkur], the entire Estonian nation, and all our friends of our friendship, cooperation and partnership. This is especially important today in the face of threats from the Russian Federation and Belarus," Kosiniak-Kamysz added.
He told reporters that earlier on Friday the Polish state-owned defence group PGZ and the Estonian-based defence technology company Frankenburg Technologies had signed a long-term cooperation agreement concerning collaboration in the development and production of modern defence solutions, particularly in drone and counter-drone capabilities.
Pevkur described Polish-Estonian relations, as well as cooperation within the European Union and NATO, as "excellent".
He also referred to recent Russian drone incidents in the Baltic region, including one that struck the chimney of a power plant in Auvere, northeastern Estonia. "Let's remember: this is not Ukraine's fault. This was all caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Ukraine is only defending its own freedom," Pevkur said.
He also urged NATO member states to maintain unity. "[Russian President Vladimir] Putin, the Kremlin, Russia - they all want one thing: for us to lose this unity, for the bonds between allies to weaken every day," he said. (PAP)
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