Secretary of State Wilz,
Your Excellency,
Rear Admiral Heise,
Mayor General Kert,
Ladies and gentlemen,

Today we welcome our guests from the Federal Republic of Germany and the Third Mine Squadron visiting Tallinn on the occasion of Estonian mine layers Kalev and Olev arriving at their home port.

Ladies and Gentlemen! We welcome our guests in gratitude. Kalev and Olev are the gift of the Federal Republic of Germany to new-born Estonian Defence Forces.

I would like to underline here and today that our security partner, the Federal Republic of Germany, has given us much more than two vessels.

The Federal Republic of Germany has given us apart from Kalev and Olev trained crews for both of them as well.

Defence weaponry, no matter how modern, is dead iron if trusted with unskilled teams. The mightiest weapon, the key factor in any branch of the army, in any democratic state is, first and foremost, a soldier. A human being and his/her will. A human being and his/her ability. A human being and his/her ability to implement the will to defend efficiently in the name of the state. You know, dear fellow-countrymen, and our guests know well that these issues have acutely and painfully been brought to the limelight of the public. The soldier and his training, the soldier and his will to defend, the soldier and his undeniable obedience to discipline, command and legislation of the Republic of Estonia - this is the foundation on which we build the defence capacity of Estonia today and tomorrow.

Considering the above, let us focus on the third gift we are receiving today from the Federal Republic of Germany: it is trust and faith in the capability of Estonian Defence Forces to begin from scratch and develop itself into an efficient trained defence force. The Republic of Estonia had to start creating its defence army not from scratch but still lower, from the line of water. We preserved the legal continuity of the Republic of Estonia, but the continuity of defence forces born in the War of Independence was intercepted for a long time. We had to start from getting rid of the totalitarian way of thinking. I can assure you, dear fellow countrymen and distinguished guests, that we have done it. It has not been easy and even today we have to suppress severely any effort to use the defence army in political struggle. This is not an internal problem of defence forces, it is an external one. It is expressed in several different ways, even in the rhetoric question whether such a small state like Estonia should spend on defence forces. This is the fruit of primitive thinking originating from the beginning of the century. In democratic Europe and the democratic world, the national security, especially the security of a small country is a social agreement. This century, abundant in victims, has taught to all of us that security is undivided. The stronger the people's will to deepen its security through international co-operation, the more convincing the state and its people are in proving our will for security and our ability of security, the stronger our national security will be.

Dear fellow countrymen, distinguished guests: I would like to acknowledge you and express my appreciation today. To fellow countrymen for the strong will for security Estonians have and which has been tested in difficulties. To guests for being present as this fact is the most convincing expression of trust in the will for security of the Estonian people, of the Estonian defence forces.

I would like to thank each one of you and wish the crews of Kalev and Olev three feet of water under the keel as Estonians say.

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