On Friday, September 28, the defense ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland met in the Latvian capital, Daugavpils. They discussed potential EU funding for the Baltic Defense Line.
This was reported by the website of the Estonian Ministry of Defense.
Hanno Pevkur, the head of the Estonian defense ministry, noted that the Baltic Defense Line initiative has received a good start, as this need is shared by allies in the Baltic Sea region.
"For us, it is extremely important to coordinate our activities with Poland, but we also see potential for cooperation with northern allies, especially Finland," Pevkur emphasized.
He explained that the need for a defense line arises from the security situation and supports NATO's new forward defense concept. At the same time, it strengthens the EU's security and military defense of its borders.
"At the same time, it strengthens the security of the European Union and the military defence of its borders, which is why we clearly see that the European Union could also financially support the project," added the Estonian defense minister.
The ministry's website stated that earlier this year, the defense ministers signed an agreement under which Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania will create a defense line along their borders with Russia and Belarus in the coming years. The line will consist of various defensive structures aimed at deterring and, if necessary, protecting against military threats.
On May 18, Poland announced a similar project called Eastern Shield. Meanwhile, the EU is considering joint defense initiatives aimed at strengthening the security of its member states.
"During the meeting, the defence ministers also received an overview of Ukraine’s experience in building defensive structures and visited Latvia’s defence installations in the Silene region," the defense ministry's website added.
