Mikser: We value the contribution of Estonian experts posted on civilian missions

Today Foreign Minister Sven Mikser met at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Estonian experts participating in civilian missions, and stressed that their contribution was highly regarded and thanked them for their promotion of international security.

The Foreign Minister remarked that Estonia has been primarily participating in European Union missions, four of which have included Estonians: in Afghanistan, Ukraine, Georgia and the Palestinian Authority. “We have been receiving very positive feedback on the work performed by our experts. We are told that the Estonian experts and observers participating in those missions exhibit excellent competence, work attitude and reliability,” stressed Sven Mikser.

When speaking about the European Union’s civilian mission to Afghanistan that is set to finish at the end of this year, the Foreign Minister emphasised the importance of the mission in developing the local community-focused police force and improving the working conditions for female police officers. “We certainly value the contribution of the participating Estonian experts who, despite the extremely complicated security situation, coped with their assignments very well,” pointed out Sven Mikser, adding that their actions and professional approach had been also lauded and rewarded by the leadership of Afghanistan and the mission personnel. Sven Mikser went on to say that it was vital to continue supporting the civilian police force of Afghanistan over the next few years, thus strengthening that country’s independent defence capabilities.

There are currently a total of 11 Estonian experts participating in civilian missions. Besides the European Union missions, Estonia still has one civilian adviser in Afghanistan on the NATO training and advisory mission called Resolute Support, one expert on the UN mission in Kosovo and several observers on the special OSCE mission in Ukraine.