Annual Baltic Conference on Defence

On 26th of September, the Baltic Defence College's delegation attended theAnnual Baltic Conference on Defence (ABCD) 2018in Tallinn. This recognized yearly security related conference had a lead topic “NATO at 70: no time to rest” and was focused on NATO after Brussels Summit and further steps necessary to be taken by all the members to increase capabilities within core Alliance’s task of collective defense.

The opening speech was provided by Jüri Luik, Minister of Defence of the Republic of Estonia who highlighted the role of NATO as security organisation important for the stability of Europe and beyond. The ABCD included three thematic panels related to NATO and its importance to enhance the deterrence and defence posture in the Baltic region. It included discussion about the role of the Alliance as well as the Baltic states' roles and their responsibilities in preserving safe and secure environment of respective independent nations.

The quality of the conference was highlighted by the presence of recognised speakers who shared their thoughts with the audience during panels and follow-on questions sessions. General Riho Terras, Chief of Defence of Estonia, provided final remarks providing his reflections about regional security and the role of all the entities involved inpreserving stability in the Baltic region and its impact on the whole NATO as security organization and Europe as common homeland.He highlighted the importance of NATO and EU unity as guarantee of security.