On 13 and 14 November, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna was on a visit to London, UK where he met with his British counterpart David Lammy, members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons, and Minister of State for Europe and North America Stephen Doughty.
Meeting with Lammy, Tsahkna said Estonia and the United Kingdom were connected by long history and close defence cooperation. “The United Kingdom is the framework country of NATO’s battle group in Estonia and we discussed options for even closer cooperation, including under the Joint Expeditionary Force,” Tsahkna said.
They spoke about Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, which has continued for almost 1000 days, and raising the cost of the war for Russia, including by using Russia’s frozen assets. Tsahkna said that by including North Korea in the war, Putin has directly made Russia’s aggression against Ukraine global. “Russia’s war is not a regional threat, it is a global threat, and it is with global partners we must stand up to the aggressor,” Tsahkna said. He added that Ukraine has presented a ten-point peace plan and a victory plan, which should serve as the roadmap to a just peace for the international community.
Discussing transatlantic cooperation and the election results of the United States, Tsahkna said he had no doubt that close cooperation with the United States would continue during the term of President Donald Trump.
14/11/2024. London, United Kingdom. Foreign Secretary David Lammy meets Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna. Picture by Ben Dance / FCDO
Tsahkna also met with the National Security Adviser Tim Barrow, the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the House of Commons Emily Thornberry and the Minister of State for Europe and North America Stephen Doughty. They discussed shared security challenges and further boosting the excellent relations of the two countries. Tsahkna thanked the United Kingdom for its remarkable contribution to security in Europe.
FM Tsahkna gave a lecture in the prestigious King’s College sharing Estonia’s perspective on Russia’s aggression. He emphasised that Putin had not changed his objectives and grey areas only spur Putin on to continue his aggression. “Every Estonian can share a story about what an occupation truly means. This is why we are doing everything we can to make sure this never happens again and that international law and norms are respected.”
Last night, Tsahkna attended the formal dinner of the Magnitsky Human Rights Awards.
