President Lennart Meri received Jan Troejborg, the Minister of Defence of the Kingdom of Denmark, in the presidential palace of Kadriorg today.

The Danish Minister of Defence assured President Meri that Denmark had started discussions with NATO members for Estonia's accession to NATO, and that Denmark recommended the simultaneous acceptance of all three Baltic states. President Meri thanked Denmark for comprehensive support within the last twelve years, and also for the promises of future co-operation.

As President Meri said, Estonia has been quite successful both on the accession negotiations with the European Union and in enhancing her co-operative capability with NATO owing to bi- and multilateral co-operation with her supporters, members of NATO. As the President said, the Estonian people understand that no time must be lost in acceding to the two organisations that the state has set down as priorities, and that the proportion of defence expenditure must be increased to 2% of the gross national product by the year 2002 to build up a reliable national defence system.

Also the situation in Russia was discussed on the meeting.

The Danish Minister of Defence was accompanied by Jųrgen Munk Rasmussen, the Ambassador of Denmark to Estonia, as well as officials from the Danish Ministry of Defence and the Estonian Minister of Defence Jüri Luik.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, April 4, 2001

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