On the 20th anniversary of Estonia's accession to the European Union on Wednesday, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas emphasized the significance of EU membership for her country's security.
"Today's security situation confirms that belonging to the European Union ensures the survival of our country and helps us to protect our democracy," Kallas said.
"Membership of the European Union and also NATO are the cornerstones of our security," said the leader of the Baltic state, which borders Russia.
Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna also emphasized: "Belonging to the European family has given Estonia the certainty that we will never again stand alone."
This was particularly important in view of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which had proven that grey areas in Europe only motivated Russia to continue its imperialist war of conquest, Tsahkna said.
In addition to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus joined the EU on May 1, 2004. This was the largest enlargement in the history of the EU.
Estonia, which, like Latvia and Lithuania, had been unwilling parts of the Soviet Union until 1991, was considered a model candidate among the Eastern European reform democracies at the time.
"When we emerged from the Soviet prison, we started working straight away to join [the EU] because we knew: Prosperity is security and security is prosperity," Kallas emphasized in her video message.
Estonia's accession to the EU had been "a success story" which now enables the country to support other states such as Ukraine on their path towards EU membership, she added.