On January 3, President of the Republic signed the order to release Urmas Roosimägi from the office of the Acting Commander of the Defence Forces. By the same order, President of the Republic appointed, with the knowledge of the National Defence Council, the former Commander of the Foreign Affairs Department of the General Staff of the Defence Forces Colonel Märt Tiru to the office of Acting Commander of the Defence Forces.

With his order, President Meri thanked Colonel Roosimägi for his work as Acting Commander of the Defence Forces, also for guaranteeing the peaceful transfer to the year 2000. President Meri said to Colonel Roosimägi that the ''decision was necessitated by the need to apply your working and organising capability fully for the creation of antiaircraft defence''.

The President also signed the order to thank Colonel Roosimägi for the sucessful fulfilment of the tasks of the Acting Commander of the Defence Forces from July 7, 1999, to January 3, 2000, and to obligate the Acting Commander of the Defence Forces Colonel Tiru to announce it in all units of the army.

According to President Meri, the main reason for rearrangements in the command of the defence forces was the fact that with the new year, a period of hard work has started for the Estonian defence forces; the main emphasis will be on relations relations with partner states, and the main document will be the NATO Membership Action Plan, on whose successful fulfilment Estonia's security policy future depends. It is our task to use this period with maximum efficiency.

In June, General Johannes Kert, the Commander of the Defence Forces, will return from his studies in the Military College of the United States; General Kert thanked Colonel Roosimägi on the phone and wished strength to Colonel Tiru.

In accordance to the President's order, Colonel Tiru's powers as Acting Commander of the Defence Forces will last up to June 10, 2000.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, January 3, 2000

back | archive of press releases | main page