Karis at business forum in Lithuania: Defense industry must bolster security

TALLINN – President Alar Karis, together with Lithuanian head of state Gitanas Nausėda, opened the Estonian-Lithuanian defense and security business forum on Wednesday, emphasizing that the defense industry must simultaneously bolster security and support economic growth.

"Our task is to shape the defense industry into a flagship of the economy that drives economic growth," said the head of state. 

President Karis noted that although the Baltic states are increasing their defense spending and developing their defense industries, this alone is not enough without manufacturing capabilities. "Increasing spending without functional manufacturing in our region would only mean higher prices or excessive dependence on imports," the head of state said. According to him, the Baltic states need a defense industry capable of both supporting and maintaining procured equipment and developing its own products for global export.

President Karis also stressed the need for closer cooperation between countries and defense industry companies. "In a world where technology is rapidly becoming more complex, the defense industry must be able to stay somewhat ahead of the curve and develop solutions for future needs," the head of state said.

He added that Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine demonstrates how quickly warfare is evolving and the crucial role new technologies play.

According to President Karis, both Estonia and Lithuania have strong potential for growth in the defense industry, and achieving success also requires cooperation. "This allows us to compete for larger procurements that would be difficult to access alone," the head of state noted.

He expressed hope that the business forum would help find a way to become bigger and stronger through industrial cooperation. 

Estonian Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur and Lithuanian Minister of Defence Robertas Kaunas also participated in the business forum.

At the business forum, the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association and the Lithuanian Defence and Security Industry Association signed a memorandum of understanding to develop cooperation in the defense industry. The CR14 foundation and the Lithuanian Cybersecurity Association agreed on cooperation to strengthen cybersecurity. KappaZeta and the Forest 4.0 center of excellence signed an agreement to develop remote forest monitoring.

The Estonian business delegation mainly comprised companies from the cyber and defense sectors: the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Estonian Defence and Aerospace Industry Association, the Estonian Chamber of Commerce in Lithuania, the law firm TRINITI / TRINITI JUREX Lithuania, Auve Tech, BLRT Grupp, CR14, Dambis Eesti, DefSecIntel Solutions, Dipperfox, GoSwift, HexTech Solutions, KappaZeta, Marduk Technologies, Neverhack Estonia, Nitrotol, Nortal, Primend, RiskSight, SK ID Solutions, Skinest Rail, Spaceit, Zircon, Toci, Mootor Grupp, and Go Group.