Estonia – Meeting between Jean-Yves Le Drian and Eva-Maria Liimets (Paris, 9 June 2021)

Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, received Eva-Maria Liimets, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, on June 9.

The ministers shared their assessment of the situation in the Sahel and reaffirmed their determination to continue the fight against terrorism in the Sahelo-Saharan strip, where France and Estonia are notably working together within the European coalition of special forces, Takuba.

In the run-up to the next meeting of NATO heads of state and government on June 14, the ministers discussed the strengthening of EU-NATO cooperation and the alliance’s deterrence and defense posture, as well as the defense of its values. The situation in the EU’s eastern neighborhood was also discussed, in preparation for the forthcoming European Council on June 24 and 25, which will address relations with Russia. The ministers discussed the priorities of the Estonian presidency of the UN Security Council in June and those of the French presidency in July.

The ministers welcomed the excellent quality of our bilateral relations and underscored the need to continue and strengthen bilateral cooperation in the digital economy and cybersecurity fields. While France and Estonia are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations this year, the two ministers adopted and signed the first roadmap for a strategic partnership between France and Estonia for the period 2021-2025, which sets out the various development priorities for our bilateral relations.