"History shows us how regional cooperation has faltered, or rather, been stifled by the individual problems and specific wishes of various countries. This also occurred in the Baltic states before World War II. And we know what happened then," he said at the parliament on Tuesday.
"Thus, the common interests of a large region exist alongside national egotism. How can the two be reconciled without shattering the bigger picture, and without anyone feeling left out? Very simply. Regional cooperation is in all our national interests. We all gain egotistic benefit from it. We all win," said Ilves.
At the same time, the Estonian president says he does not like the expression “speaking with one voice,” which “sounds misleading, oversimplified."
"Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are three separate countries. (…) We naturally have different opinions and different interests," he said in Vilnius.
"I am convinced of the following: the goal of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia must be to successfully develop collaborative projects that unify the markets and people of the Baltic states, and connect us even more strongly to the rest of Europe both economically and in regard to security. Successful collaborative projects and the euros – and currently also litas and lats – invested therein, are the measurable result of Baltic cooperation today," Ilves concluded.
