Singapore Defense Minister concludes visit Estonia and Latvia
Singapore’s Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen will conclude a visit to Estonia and Latvia today.
Ng has spent six days visiting the two Baltic states, meeting with leaders and security policy officials of both nations and discussing issues pertaining to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Estonia and Latvia, together with neighboring Lithuania, stopped importing Russian gas on April 1 and are now cooperating in the importation and processing of Liquefied Natural Gas as an alternative energy source.
Estonia and Latvia are both part of the EU and NATO, and Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, is also home to NATO’s Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. Ng attended the security and foreign policy-centered 15th Lennart Meri Conference in Tallinn, where he discussed issues of cyber security and hybrid threats with Baltic and European leaders. Singapore is one of only a handful of Asian countries to have adopted wide-ranging sanctions against Russia. Unlike other Southeast Asian states, Singapore’s exposure to the Russian economy is negligible.
The small Southeast Asian city-state will likely continue with its confrontational stance against Russia, as it has traditionally championed the rights of smaller states. To this end, Singapore can be expected to continue seeking closer security ties with like-minded countries, including EU members.
Download the Daily Brief app to stay ahead of geopolitics with daily, short, forward-looking analysis of geopolitical events before they hit the headlines.
