TALLINN, Sep 12, BNS - Defense Minister Jaak Aaviksoo spoke about the security situation after the Russia-Georgia conflict with the visiting former US secretary of defense, William Perry.
At the meeting of Estonia's present and US' former defense minister security policy issues and implications of the hostilities in Georgia were under discussion.
Aaviksoo told BNS Perry asked him quite directly what the United States should do for the Georgian events not to recur and for Georgia to be able to continue developing on the road of its choice and what should be done to improve the security of the Baltic states.
The minister said his reply was that from Estonia's point of view the security situation should be reassessed and basing on changed risk evaluation adequate defense plans designed with account of Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty.
Aaviksoo said this is also the message he will give to NATO defense ministers at a meeting in London next week.
Perry served as secretary of defense of the Bill Clinton administration in 1994-1997. He is in Estonia on a private visit which is part of a tour of the Baltic states and Finland arranged by the alumni organization of Stanford University.
Tallinn newsroom, +372 610 8814, sise@bns.ee
