With the new defense structures placed on the borders, they want to prepare against possible military threats in the future.
EstoniaLatvia and Lithuania plan to strengthen their borders against Russia and Belarus with new defense structures.
Defense structures placed on the borders are intended to prepare against possible military threats in the future, the Estonian Ministry of Defense said on Friday in his statement.
Postimees magazine According to
The defense ministers of the Baltic countries agreed at their meeting in Riga on Friday that Latvia and Lithuania will establish a similar defense zone on the eastern border. From NATO's point of view, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are one operational area.
According to the Ministry of Defense of Estonia, the joint project has been planned “carefully and thoughtfully”.
Latvia, and especially Lithuania, has a long border with Belarus, which has been Russia's supporter in its war of aggression against Ukraine.
“Need [yhteisprojektille] stems from the current security situation. Russia's war in Ukraine has shown that in addition to equipment, ammunition and troops, physical defense structures are also needed at the borders to defend Estonia [mahdollisen hyökkäyksen] in the first meters, said the Minister of Defense of Estonia Hanno Pevkur in the statement.
Estonian according to the statement, the Baltic countries are one of NATO's operational areas, which is why defense structures are being built in cooperation with Latvia and Lithuania.
During peacetime, no explosives, barbed wire or other physical barriers will be placed on Estonia's border, the statement said. Instead, a network of bunkers, support points and distribution lines will be built on the borders in cooperation with the residents of the border areas and in agreement with the landowners.
According to Postimees magazine, of the hundreds of concrete bunkers planned for Estonia, the vast majority will be built in the province of Itä-Viru and Southeast Estonia, and some will also be built on the shores of Lake Peipsijärvi.
The defense ministers also signed a memorandum of understanding on Himars rocket launchers with the aim of creating a framework for the joint use of the weapon system at all times.
At the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June, it was emphasized that the member countries of the alliance must be ready to defend their region in the event of a possible attack, and new regional defense plans must be developed for that. The purpose is conflict prevention and readiness to stop attacking forces.
Pevkurkin emphasized that the structures are intended to prevent conflict in the region.
“We are taking these measures so that the people of Estonia can feel safe, but if even the slightest risk occurs, we can prepare for different developments much faster,” he said.
The defense ministers of Estonia and Latvia also signed a cooperation agreement separately About the activities of NATO's air police from the Latvian Lielvarde Air Base while the runway at the Ämari Air Base is being repaired.
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