Spain has deployed advanced Norwegian-made Nasams surface-to-air defence missiles in Estonia as part of its commitment to NATO in the Baltic region.
The Nasams system will protect the Amari air base, where NATO fighters operate as part of the Alliance’s rotating patrol shifts over the airspace above the Baltic states of Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania.
The anti-aircraft missile system, with a range of up to 120 kilometres depending on the type of missile used, will be deployed in Estonia for four months, according to Spanish Defence sources.
The move was announced in February before parliament by Defence Minister Margarita Robles (PSOE/S&D) in the framework of Madrid’s commitment to protecting NATO’s eastern flank.
Spain recently contributed to boosting the defence of the Baltic region’s airspace.
The Baltic country’s authorities confirmed the news on Thursday after Robles met her Estonian counterpart, Hanno Pevkur, at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The measure has the support of the entire Spanish Council of Ministers, including the left-wing Unidas Podemos (GUE-NGL) ministers, the junior coalition partner of PSOE in the executive. It comes after a specific request made by the Estonian government.
Meanwhile, Spain will send the first shipment of six Leopard battle tanks it had recently promised to Kyiv right after Easter, with four other tanks currently being overhauled for the same purpose.
(Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.EURACTIV.es)
Source: euractiv.com
