Estonia sees Turkey as a good NATO ally with high capabilities, which understands its security concerns very well, the country's Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets said Friday.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) during her official visit to Turkey, Liimets said that the bilateral relations between the two countries are evolving every year and said: "Estonia and Turkey are two very good allies in NATO."
Noting that the relations between Turkey and Estonia date back a century, Liimets said, "We will celebrate the 100th anniversary of our diplomatic relations in 2024. All this time, we have had very good relations between our countries that have developed and strengthened with each passing year."
Expressing that the two countries focused on bilateral relations, economy and security, Liimets added that Estonia is planning to diversify its ties and look into different sectors. "Tourism is one of the important areas. I am very happy that we also have direct flights between Istanbul and Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. So there is a lot to talk about and much to progress."
Liimets stated that there will be more parliamentary interaction between the two countries this year and that business delegations will visit each other and said that trade, digital and defense cooperation between Turkey and Estonia will progress.
On the two countries' cooperation in the field of security and their NATO partnership, she said: "Estonia and Turkey are two very good allies in NATO. We see Turkey as a very capable, good ally who understands our security concerns very well. Therefore, we think there are opportunities for closer cooperation. We are grateful for Turkey's commitment to NATO."
Reminding that a few years ago, Turkish pilots undertook the task of protecting the Baltic airspace within NATO, Liimets said that they are grateful to Turkey for its contribution to this security issue, which is important for Estonia and the Baltic countries.
Regarding the planned visit of the Estonian Chief of General Staff Martin Herem to Turkey, Liimets said, "It is very nice that our chiefs of staff can come together and discuss these issues, since we cooperate very closely in NATO."
Drawing attention to the issue of cyber security, Minister Liimets stated that Turkey is a member of the NATO Joint Cyber Defense Center of Excellence in Tallinn and that the two countries are also cooperating closely in this field.
Another point that Liimets touched upon was the migration crisis. Stating that Turkey's geographical location is at the crossroads of the migration crisis, Liimets said: "We really appreciate Turkey's approach to the issue, which hosts millions of refugees on its territory."
Underlining that Estonia has been providing financial aid to migrant camps in Turkey and other countries, she said: "We see that millions of Syrians are forced to leave their country. We must all try to do our best so that this country can find a political solution and all refugees can safely return to their homeland."
Stating that Estonia has always favored expansion of the European Union, Liimets said that they hoped that Turkey, which is already a very good ally in NATO, will advance toward EU membership with reforms as a candidate country.
Explaining that she visited Anıtkabir, the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the modern Turkish state, and met with the Chair of the Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee Akif Çağatay Kılıç and Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Liimets stated that she will visit a temporary shelter in southern Adana province on Friday as part of her tour.
