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Photo: Sunday morning s War of Independence remembrance ceremony at Vabaduse väljak in Tallinn. Author: Ardi Hallismaa/mil.ee
Defense minister Jüri Luik (Isamaa) led proceedings at a ceremony in central Tallinn Sunday morning, which commemorated the 101st anniversary of the end of the Estonian War of Independence and remembered those who lost their lives in pursuit of Estonia s independence.
Luik said January 3 represents a historic moment, when the independence war ended and freedom began.
A ceasefire on January 3 1920 effectively ended the Estonian War of Independence, between Estonian forces and those of the fledgling Soviet Russian state, and also the German Baltische Landeswehr, armed forces representing the Baltic aristocracy prevalent in Estonia prior to World War One. A minute s silence was also observed Sunday, a tradition which began just a few years after the end of the war and is starts at 10.30 a.m., the exact time the t
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Photo: The press conference between the UK s Minister of Defense Ben Wallace and Estonian Minister of Defense Jüri Luik. Author: Ken Mürk/ERR
The United Kingdom s Secretary of State for Defence Ben Wallace is on a two-day visit to Estonia and will visit Tapa military base to meet Estonian and UK soldiers on Tuesday.
Estonian Defence Minister Jüri Luik (Isamaa) met with Wallace on Monday and the pair discussed the UK s contribution to NATO s battlegroup in Tapa, cooperation in NATO and other formats and regional security issues.
In a statement made after the meeting, Luik said the UK is one of Estonia s most important allies as the countries share an understanding of security threats from Russia.