The defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania plan to build a joint defense line in the Baltic along the three countries' borders with Russia and Belarus.
In a press conference after a meeting, Estonian Defense Ministers Hanno Pevkur; Latvia, Andris Spruds; and Lithuania's Arvydas Anusauskas said the line of defense would involve pre-positioned ammunition and weapons, defensive positions and quick reaction units to deal with any possible border aggression.
The ministers also mentioned the purchase, by each of the countries, of the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), capable of hitting targets inside Russia or Belarus.
Anusauskas considered it important for the three countries to organize joint training, maintenance operations and exercises for mobile rocket artillery systems.
Pevkur said he does not see “democratic changes in Russia” when asked about statements by some high-ranking European officials, including Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, about the possibility of a confrontation between Russia and NATO within some years.
In any case, construction of the defense line will take several years and require measures such as acquiring private land on or near the border for military installations, he emphasized.
He ruled out the construction of minefields as part of the defense line.
“Landmines are not a magic tool to prevent war, our military says we have many alternatives. Minefields could make the country's border country's forests unsafe for recreational use,” Pevkur added.
Asked whether Latvia would denounce the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and on their Destruction, Spruds said the country's Armed Forces would submit a report on the issue on the 22nd, after which the government would take a position.
He also said that Latvia currently has anti-tank and anti-personnel mines that could be used in an emergency.
The Estonian Defense Minister considered that any deviation from the global ban on anti-personnel mines could cause concern among the closest allies of the Baltic countries that have signed or agreed to the ban on this type of equipment.
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