Ansip Thanked Estonian Defence Forces for 2009

“You increase the level of security on the global level and help countries that cannot handle their administration at the moment,” said the Prime Minister Andrus Ansip during a celebration on Wednesday thanking the members of Defence Forces who served Estonian foreign missions during 2009.

Mr. Ansip thanked also the families, who backed and understood the importance of those missions. “Serving so far from home would not be possible without the support from one’s loved ones, so I thank you as well,” he pointed out.

The members of the Defence Forces have been invited by Mr. Ansip to Steinbock House and a lot of them served in Afghanistan within the composition of Estcoy-8 and Estcoy-E.

Brigadier General Neeme Väli,  chief of the General Staff of the Defence Forces, said that “Your term of service was the most difficult one for members of Defence Forces who had thus far participated in the operations in Afghanistan”. Estonians military completed successfully many missions during the Afghan war, carrying out 300 patrols, identifying 47 improvised explosive devices and taking part in 90 battle contacts.

Mr. Väli showed his satisfaction because Estonian soldiers had positively completed their work in Iraq and the situation will likely be the same in Kosovo as well.