ESTONIA ON NATO RESPONSE FORCE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TALLINN 000545 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR EUR/RPM AND EUR/NB E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/05/2016 TAGS: PREF NATO EN SUBJECT: ESTONIA ON NATO RESPONSE FORCE REF: STATE 89347 Classified By: CDA Jeff Goldstein for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) In the context of a previously scheduled visit to Estonia, EUR/RPM Director Gary Robbins and Polecoff delivered reftel points on the need for securing pledges for the NATO Response Force (NRP)on June 2 to Sander Soone, MFA First Political Department Director General, and Miko Haljas, MFA Director for Security Policy and Arms Control. The GOE is in complete agreement with the USG's position, and wholeheartedly supports efforts for Allies to meet their commitments for Full Operational Capability (FOC) for the NRP. ¶2. (C) Soone remarked that the Allies need to press ahead in order to generate the necessary momentum to accomplish this by the Riga Summit. Haljas said that the GOE is content with the current drafts coming from Brussels, and that the process would proceed more smoothly now that the most difficult issues have been resolved. While Estonia's challenges will be difficult, Soone said that they would be manageable and did not foresee any major obstacles preventing Estonia from fulfilling its commitments on schedule. The rotation schemes are currently in inter-agency discussion in order to hammer out what Estonia will be able to offer. Speaking personally, Soone felt that initial GOE drafts did not offer enough, and that more should be on the table. It is unclear if the GOE will have a finalized scheme by time of the June 8 Defense Ministerial. ¶3. (C) On June 6, DATT and Polecoff delivered reftel points to MOD Secretary General Lauri Almann and Lauri Lindstrom, Deputy Undersecretary for Defense Policy. While reiterating that Estonia is on track with its own commitments, Almann said that the GOE completely agrees with the U.S. position and appreciates USG efforts to press the Allies to deliver on their commitments. GOLDSTEIN