MOSCOW (Sputnik) — NATO's plans to place more military forces in the Baltic States are important and Estonia has put a lot of effort in their implementation, Estonian Minister of Defense Hannes Hanso said Saturday.
"Allies have realized that in our region NATO is not only protecting the security of Estonia and the Baltic Sea region, but the entire NATO [member countries]. Everyone should understand that NATO defends its borders where there are security challenges, and now they are present in our region. The deployment of additional units here is totally understandable and welcomed. We have worked a lot in the name of this goal," Hanso said, as quoted by the ministry's press service.
Moscow has repeatedly denied the claims and warned NATO that the military buildup on Russia’s borders is provocative and could harm regional and global stability.
