Estonian president supports French return into NATO military structure

07.04.2008

Speaking about the results of NATO's Bucharest summit, Ilves said that although Georgia and Ukraine were not yet given the membership action plan, the two countries actually received an even better result, confirmation of accession.

"Georgia and Ukraine are countries that have chosen the road of democracy. It is our duty to ask ourselves what we can do to help them," Ilves said.

In addition to issues of the future of NATO and of military cooperation the meeting also focused on the main aims of the French presidency of the European Union, incuding developments in the energy and climate policy.

Speaking about the future of the European Union, Ilves pointed out that Estonia thought about it very much like France.

"We have to understand that no country can stand alone for its prionciples and that on the world scale all member countries of the European Union are actually small countries," he said.

The president underlined that the European Union needs a common policy in very many issues.

Ilves and Kouchner also dwelt on issues of cultural cooperation between the two countries, including intensification of language learning and the translation of books.

Later on Monday the Estonian president will also meet with President of the European Union delegation of the lower house of the French parliament Pierre Lequillier, chairman of the foreign affairs and defense committee of the upper house Josselin de Rohan and Senator Denis Badre, who is simultaneously head of the all-party Baltic group in the French Senate.

A meeting with Thierry de Montbrial, President of the French Foreign Policy Institute, will conclude the visit.

Tallinn newsroom, 610 8861, sise@bns.ee