Defence Co-operation

In addition to membership in the EU and NATO, Estonia also feels it is important to co-operate within the framework of other international organisations, primarily the UN, the OSCE, and the Council of Europe.

Estonia has been a member of the United Nations (UN) since 1991. Estonia considers co-operation within the UN to be necessary for maintaining international peace and security by fulfilling development goals, protecting peace, and combating international terrorism. Estonia hopes to be chosen as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the years 2020-21. The successful implementation of the UN Security Council resolution 1325 “Women and peace and security” in the context of international co-operation and contributions is very important for Estonia. An Estonian military observer is participating in the UN peacekeeping mission UNTSO in the Middle East.

Estonia joined the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 1991. The OSCE’s approach to security is broad, encompassing the military, economic and human dimensions. Estonia actively takes part in military and security co-operation on the basis of the OSCE’s Vienna Document and the Open Skies Agreement. In addition, Estonian experts participate in the work of OSCE missions in the Western Balkans, the South Caucasus and elsewhere.

Estonia has been a member of the Council of Europe since 1993. The Council of Europe is an irreplaceable regulatory organisation that stands for the protection of human rights. In terms of security topics, Estonia considers its defence-related co-operation within the Council of Europe to be very important, for example combating terrorism and organised crime, which includes fighting cyber crime and human trafficking.

Estonia has joined the main international organisations co-ordinating strategic goods control, such as the Wassenaar Agreement, the Australia Group, and the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

An important area of international co-operation for Estonia involves how to react to new security threats, especially when it comes to ensuring cyber security. The vulnerability of cyberspace is a serious security risk in today’s world; it affects all nations and needs to be tackled on a global level. It is essential that increasing the security of cyberspace does not come at the expense of human rights. In accordance with the national cyber security strategy approved by the Estonian government, Estonia would like to actively participate in working out international cyber security policy, making the problem known through various international organisations and developing international co-operation networks that deal with cyber security. Estonia would like to see wide-spread international support for the Council of Europe’s Convention on Cybercrime. The NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence has been established in Tallinn, and as before, Estonia plans to continue sharing its cyber security-related experiences around the world.

In bilateral relations, defence co-operation with major partners such as the US, Great Britain, Germany and France has been and remains of great importance. Very close co-operation also takes place between Estonia and its northern neighbours Denmark, Finland, and Norway, and its southern neighbours Latvia and Lithuania.