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Foreign Minister Tsahkna in The Hague: NATO presence and protection of critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea needs to be boosted

Republic of Estonia - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

04.02.2025

On 3 and 4 February, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna was on a visit to The Hague, where he met with his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp to discuss bilateral relations, topical security issues, and support for Ukraine.

At his meeting with Veldkamp, Tsahkna thanked the Netherlands for its contribution to the security of NATO's Eastern Flank, including to the air policing mission in Ämari and the operations of the Baltic Sentry in the Baltic Sea. Additional cooperation options in ensuring regional security were discussed. "The recent increasingly frequent incidents with submarine infrastructure are a good example of why we must boost NATO presence in the Baltic Sea and improve the protection of critical infrastructure," Tsahkna said. "The activities of the shadow fleet in the Baltic Sea are unacceptable regardless of whether damage to infrastructure has occurred due to defects in old and unserviceable ships or deliberate action," he added. "Russia is using these vessels to fund its war machine and continued aggression in Ukraine."

The ministers also spoke about Europe's increased defence preparedness and the development of the defence industry.

Tsahkna recognised the Netherlands for the significant assistance it has provided to Ukraine, while emphasising that everyone must do more in order to achieve peace and security. He said he hoped for quick progress with the EU's 16th package of sanctions against Russia, including with lowering the oil price cap. "Here, cooperation with the G7 countries is important for making the cost of the war for Russia unbearably high and finding a way to utilise immobilised Russian assets to help Ukraine."

The meeting covered ways in which Estonia and the Netherlands could boost cooperation in contributing to Ukraine's cyber and digital capabilities under the Tallinn Mechanism and the IT Coalition.

Tsahkna also met with President of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Judge Tomoko Akane, and Prosecutor Karim Khan to discuss the ICC's work in fighting impunity, including Russia's crime of aggression in Ukraine. Tsahkna said that Estonia supported the role of the independent and impartial court as part of the rules-based international order.

He spoke to Secretary General of the OPCW Fernando Arias about the investigation launched into the use of chemical weapons by Russia in Ukraine. "Like the OPCW, it is Estonia's position that chemical weapons and their use cannot be tolerated, and I would like to commend the organisation for conducting investigations and documenting cases," Tsahkna said. They discussed the OPCW's work in disposing of the chemical weapons of the Assad regime in Syria and the risks that the development of AI entails for the non-proliferation of chemical weapons.

From The Hague, Tsahkna will travel to the United States, staying in Washington DC from 5 to 7 February. The foreign minister and his Latvian and Lithuanian colleagues will talk on the Globsec Transatlantic Forum panel "The Road to Sustainable Peace in Ukraine." The Baltic foreign ministers will also meet various representatives, senators, and think tankers.