Foreign Minister Kaljurand spoke this afternoon by phone to the United Kingdom’s new Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Alan Duncan. The ministers discussed bilateral relations, the consequences of Brexit, Estonia’s presidency of the Council of the European Union and defence cooperation.
Kaljurand assured her colleague, that despite Brexit, Estonia wishes to continue an open dialogue and diverse collaboration with the Government of the United Kingdom, both bilaterally, as well as in relations with the United Kingdom and European Union. “The United Kingdom is a part of Europe, we need its contribution, so that Europe can develop in a stable manner,” the Foreign Minister added.
On the subject of security, Kaljurand said that Estonia values security cooperation with the United Kingdom very highly and that the UK is an important partner and ally for Estonia. “For us, it is important to move forward quickly with decisions made at the NATO Summit in Warsaw. The United Kingdom is a very important long-time partner and ally for us, and we are grateful that it will lead the NATO multinational battalion in Estonia,” Kaljurand said to her colleague.
Duncan thanked Estonia for its willingness to carry out the presidency of the Council of the European Union 6 months earlier than previously planned. Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand confirmed her belief that Estonia will be able to successfully carry out the presidency, despite the earlier period.
COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT, FOREIGN MINISTRY
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