Estonia, Latvia and Finland have signed a letter of intent to begin consultations for acquiring armoured vehicles within the framework of trilateral defence cooperation.
The letter of intent was signed by the Estonian minister of defence, Jüri Luik; the Latvian defence minister, Artis Pabriks; and the permanent secretary of the Finnish ministry of defence, Jukka Juusti, the Estonian defence ministry announced.
“The letter of intent that was signed today is a most welcome beginning for the joint undertaking between Estonia, Latvia and Finland in acquiring new armoured vehicles. We agreed to carry out defence-related technical research, and I believe our cooperation will yield a positive result,” Luik said in a statement.
The goal of the letter of intent is to find an optimal solution for all three countries for increasing infantry mobility, with the initial plan being to reach procurement in 2024. Estonia, Latvia and Finland are initially planning to focus on the cooperation programme, in order to find the common ground required for the future procurement.
“We have a very positive long-term relationship with Finland in terms of procurement policy, we have bought self-propelled artillery and radar systems together. Now, we want to extend this cooperation to Latvia, as all three countries share a common interest in armoured vehicles,” Luik added.
Cover: A Patria Pasi armoured vehicle of the Estonian Defence Forces (the image is illustrative).
