Estonian Atlantic Treaty Association (EATA)

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Great article. General Martin Herem reflects on his tenure. Thank you for your service general 🙏

ROBUST STRATEGIC GROWTH ⟩ General Martin Herem Reflects on His Tenure's Key Developments In one of his parting conversations as Estonia’s Chief of Defense, General Martin Herem shared with The Baltic Sentinel the remarkable evolution of Estonia's military during his tenure at the helm.

Today is the second day of the NATO Public Forum. The panels will start in about 90 minutes. Until then, a quick recap of yesterday.

NATO Public Forum is going live at 4pm Estonian time.

“On the sidelines of the NATO Summit, the Alliance and the US government, in partnership with civil-society organizations including the Atlantic Council, host the NATO Public Forum to connect with communities across the Alliance. The forum offers government officials and experts alike the opportunity to offer their insight on summit developments.”

NATO Public Forum: Day 1 On the sidelines of the NATO Summit, the Alliance and the US government, in partnership with civil-society organizations including the Atlantic Council, host...

Krista Mulenok, EATA Secretary General and ATA Member of the Board participated in WPS Roundtable and had meeting with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who stressed in his speech the importance of adopting a new policy on women, peace and security in the framework of the NATO Washington Summit. The US is the first and so far the only country in the world to have a Women, Peace, and Security Act.
Krista Mulenok was selected in 2023 to represent the Atlantic Treaty Association on the NATO’s first civil society advisory panel on WPS, convened by NATO’s SG special representative Irene Fellin.



NATO Atlantic Treaty Association Youth Atlantic Treaty Association Kaitseministeerium Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Välisministeerium Jens Stoltenberg

NATO Allies select Mark Rutte as next Secretary General

On Wednesday (26 June 2024), the North Atlantic Council decided to appoint Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the next Secretary General of NATO, succeeding Jens Stoltenberg. Mr Rutte will assume his functions as Secretary General from 1 October 2024, when Mr Stoltenberg’s term expires after ten years at the helm of the Alliance.

🙌💪

The 2024 NATO Youth Summit, organised by NATO ,The Aspen Institute ,Aspen Institute Romania, the Defence University and the Civil Contingencies Agency, is an event taking place in Miami, Florida and Stockholm, Sweden, with global watch parties. It focuses on key global issues relevant to youth, providing a forum for engagement, networking, understanding and discussions on how the Transatlantic Alliance tackles present and future challenges.

https://natoyouthsummit.com/

Last week NATO issued a statement expressing deep concern over recent malign activities by Russia on Allied territory. These activities include investigations and charges related to hostile state actions in several NATO member countries. Russia's actions, including disinformation, sabotage, violence, cyber and electronic interference, and other hybrid operations, pose a threat to Allied security. NATO stands in solidarity with affected Allies and pledges to address these actions collectively while boosting resilience and coordination. The statement condemns Russia's behaviour and calls on them to uphold international obligations. These actions will not deter the Allies from continuing to support Ukraine.

📸source X (former Twitter), from the account

Today, Estonia's Ministry of Defence hosted the unveiling of the Defence Forces Annual Review 2023.
The yearbook offers insight into the development of Estonia's military capabilities, with a particular focus on Russia's aggressive actions and military operations in Ukraine. It examines how the Estonian Defence Forces have responded to and learned from the conflict in Ukraine, while also discussing Russia's strategies in full-scale warfare. The yearbook emphasizes the adaptability and effectiveness of the Estonian Defence Forces in a changing security landscape, and it prompts important considerations for the future. Additionally, it provides an overview of the broader security policies and conditions in the region, making it a valuable and informative read for those interested in defence and security matters.

Read the publication via issuu here: https://issuu.com/sodur/docs/annual_review_23

Estonian Defence Forces Annual Review 2023 Read Estonian Defence Forces Annual Review 2023 by Sõdur on Issuu and browse thousands of other publications on our platform. Start here!

Today is the Veterans Day in Estonia 🇪🇪.

In every April, the Estonian Society of Wounded Soldiers in cooperation with the Naiskodukaitse carries out The Blue Hepatica campaign to recognize the veterans and to collect the donations to strengthen the field of rehabilitation. We are glad we could support the cause.

💪🇪🇪🛩️

From dusk ‘till dawn…🌞🌑

NATO is ready, always! This 🇪🇸 Eurofighter 🛩 on watch at Amari Air Base in 🇪🇪 during Exercise RAMSTEIN ALLOY, is the powerful reminder that - even though daylight fades - NATO's vigilance never does! ⚔️

We stand ready to , at all hours, at all costs 💪

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Flying training over the Baltic States in the beginning of next week 💪

In order to promote international cooperation with Armenian partners, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Välisministeerium and Estonian Centre for Internatonal Development organised a joint visit to Yerevan. The aim of the visit was to map out potential local partners for future development cooperation projects. The Estonian Ambassador to Georgia and Armenia, Riina Kaljurand, gave an overview of the situation in Armenia, Estonia's priority areas and an event was organised to identify and develop contacts with potential partners 🇦🇲. One of the organisers of the event was our former intern and EATA member Peeter Pals, who is currently working as a desk officer at the Estonian Embassy in Tbilisi. EATA was represented by the Chairperson of the Board Krista Mulenok. He met with Vahram Petrosyan, representative of KASA Foundation Humanitaire Suisse, Tevan J. Poghosyan, President of the Armenian Atlantic Association (AAA), and Astghik Injeyan and Rima Khalatyan, partners in a development cooperation project 10 years ago.

: Congratulations, 🤝!

▪️ NATO, or the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation - in Estonian, Põhja-Atlandi Lepingu Organisatsioon, in French, Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord (OTAN).

▪️ NATO's goal is to ensure freedom and security for its members through political and military means.

▪️ NATO has 32 member countries.

▪️ NATO was established on April 4, 1949, with the North Atlantic Treaty, also known as the Washington Treaty.

Drawing by Karl-Erik Talvet Art

Today marks the 20th anniversary of Estonia joining NATO 💪 Here are some events that preceded this important event.

🔸At the NATO Prague Summit on November 21-22, 2002, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia were invited to begin accession negotiations.

🔸From January to March 2003, accession negotiations with NATO took place in Estonia.

🔸On March 26, the same year, NATO member states signed accession protocols with all countries invited in 2002 to join the North Atlantic Treaty.

🔸On March 10, 2004, the Estonian Parliament ratified the North Atlantic Treaty with all its annexes.

🔸On March 11, 2004, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer made his first visit to Estonia.

🔸On March 29, 2004, the accession documents were deposited with the United States government in Washington, making Estonia a full-fledged NATO member.

🔸On April 2, 2004, a flag-raising ceremony for the seven new allies took place in Brussels to mark their accession to NATO.

Drawing: Karl-Erik Talvet Art

Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Välisministeerium Kaitseministeerium NATO Kaitseliit Sõdurileht Naiskodukaitse Kodutütred

In March 1949, more than 22,000 individuals were deported from Estonia to Siberia, along with over 90,000 from the Baltic states. March 25 marks 75 years since the forcible deportation, amounting to almost 3% of Estonia's total population. The majority of those deported were women and children under 16.
Across Estonia, ceremonies will be held to commemorate 75 years since the March deportations. In Tallinn, from 6 p.m., individuals can participate in candle lighting on Freedom Square, organised by the Estonian Institute of Human Rights. A total of 1,550 candles will be placed in the square for attendees to light. Additionally, the Estonian Memory Institute will install informative plaques in Estonian, English, Russian, Finnish, and German.

Sweden became today, on the 7th of March, the 32nd country to join NATO 🇸🇪

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed over the final documentation to the U.S. government as the last step in a drawn-out process to secure the backing of all members to join the military alliance.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said: “This is a historic day. Sweden will now take its rightful place at NATO’s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions. After over 200 years of non-alignment Sweden now enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of Allies’ freedom and security. Sweden brings with it capable armed forces and a first-class defence industry. Sweden’s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer and the whole Alliance more secure. Today’s accession demonstrates that NATO’s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path.”

Sweden’s flag will be raised alongside those of the other 31 Allies in a ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday (11 March 2024), and simultaneously at NATO commands across Europe and North America.

NATO Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Välisministeerium Kaitseministeerium

🇱🇻🇪🇪🇱🇹 🫶

5 🇩🇪 Air Force Eurofighter jets touched down at Lielvarde Air Base in 🇱🇻, where they will support NATO’s enhanced Air Policing for the 🇱🇻🇪🇪🇱🇹 in the coming months

It is the first time, is using Lielvarde for the Baltic Air Policing mission and Germany will provide the interceptors for the mission

Hungarian Parliament approved Sweden's accession to NATO on Monday. Hungary was the last NATO member that had not ratified the accession agreement with Sweden.
The decision was supported by 188 members of parliament, with six voting against. There are a total of 199 members in the Hungarian parliament.

The approval of the Hungarian Parliament means that Sweden's accession to NATO is essentially decided. To admit new members, the support of all existing NATO members is required.

Thank you for the drawing Karl-Erik Talvet Art 🙏



Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Välisministeerium Kaitseministeerium Kaitseliit Sõdurileht Kodutütred Naiskodukaitse NATO

Thank you!🫶💙🖤🤍

Join us in celebrating our Ally 🇪🇪 Estonia on their Independence Day today

The Estonian government approved the appointment of Colonel Andrus Merilo as the new Commander-in-Chief of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF).

Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur proposed Col. Merilo to succeed Gen. Martin Herem, who will step down at the end of June. Col. Merilo, currently leading the 1st Infantry Brigade, will assume his new role on July 1. He has been promoted to deputy commander for the period March to June inclusive.

Merilo has previously held various positions within the EDF, including commander of the General Staff's operational department and the EDF's Scout Battalion. Col. Merilo has also participated in peacekeeping missions in Lebanon and served in international operations in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

On Friday, he will be promoted to Brigadier General (NATO: OF-6) by President Alar Karis.

Kaitseministeerium Eesti Kaitsevägi Eesti NATO Ühing Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs / Välisministeerium Kaitseliit

EATA SG Krista Mulenok had meeting in Germany with Michael Simon, the representative of German Atlantic Association and Dmytro Raiskyi, Advocacy Manager at NGO PR Army, Ukraine.
The Munich Security Conference first side event “Security Policy Round Table “NATO at 75 – Are we ready to defend?” took place at the Prinz-Carl-Palais.

Almost two years after Putin started his brutal war against Ukraine, there is not much hope that
Russian aggression will end anytime soon. The Kremlin seems willing to waste ever more lives,
destroying the livelihoods of civilians and ruining any prospects for a mutually respected order of
peace and stability in Europe. NATO, having maintained peace and security for its members for
75 years, is challenged in ways that contain elements of the Cold War past as well as elements of
the unknown, driven by a strategic landscape that is far more complex and disrupted by techno-
logical innovation. At its landmark 2023 summit in Vilnius, NATO’s leaders have adopted a far-
reaching consensus to step up joint efforts to strengthen the defensive capabilities of the alliance
and its members. So where are we, with NATO at 75 and after the Vilnius summit? What do the
Vilnius agreements mean for the deterrence of Russia? How do experts assess the protection of
NATO’s most vulnerable members along the eastern flank? What is the impact of the northern
enlargement of NATO? How do tactical and technical innovations change the requirements for
our Armed forces? How are societies in large coping with the “new normal” and are they support-
ive of what needs to be invested to deter even more aggression? In short: Are we, is NATO ready
to defend?

YATA Belgium Atlantic Treaty Association Youth Atlantic Treaty Association NATO Eesti NATO Ühing
Deutsche Atlantic’s he Gesellschaft

Donald Trump expressed his willingness to "encourage" Russia to attack any NATO member that does not fulfill its financial obligations. He also recounted telling a leader that he would not defend a nation behind on its payments and would support aggressors in doing as they please. The White House criticized his remarks as "appalling and unhinged." NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg stated that any insinuation that allies would not defend each other undermines security and puts soldiers from NATO countries at risk.

Trump says he would 'encourage' Russia to attack Nato allies who do not pay their bills The US presidential hopeful says he would not protect any country failing to pay its bills.