On September 23 the 10th military political talks between Estonia and France will take place in Paris. During the negotiations the delegations of the two Defence Ministries will discuss bilateral co-operation and sign the annual co-operation plan for 2004.
The plan for 2004 includes 13 different activities and visits, the main focus is put on capability oriented activities e g seminars, language courses, refresher training courses, co-operation in the field of codification, diving, MCM and medical services.
The negotiations will also tackle upon European security issues, developments in the direction of NATO enlargement and ESDP included. Delegations will also discuss restructuring of the both countries’ defence forces and Estonia’s preparations for joining the Alliance. The Estonian delegation will give a detailed overview of the new Annual National Plan, the latest developments in the EDF restructuring process, Estonia’s input into the international peace support operations and the directions of regional co-operation.
The Estonia’s delegation is led by the Deputy Secretary General for Defence Policy Sulev Kannike and the French delegation by Brigadier General Andre Var, French Defence Ministry’s head of Euro-Atlantic division.