TALLINN. July 24 (Interfax) - Estonia has proposed to transform the NATO northeastern corps safeguarding the Baltic countries and Poland into a rapid reaction unit.
Considering the conclusions drawn at a meeting of East European leaders in Warsaw on Tuesday, Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said it was necessary to build the presence of NATO forces and their preparedness for rapid reaction in all countries bordering Russia, presidential security advisor Merle Maigre told the ERR broadcasting portal on Wednesday.
"We would like it to be a rapid reaction unit possessing the expertise and skills relevant for regional defense needs," Maigre said.
"This means there will be more servicemen. The issue needs to be thought over by us and the entire region," Maigre added.
The Defense Ministry confirmed the Estonian interest in a larger presence of NATO in the Baltic Sea region and said the rapid reaction capacity of the northeastern corps was an option.
"The NATO presence will indeed be pondered at the NATO summit in Wales in early September; it will be a keynote subject," Defense Ministry spokesman Peeter Kuimet said.