FROM: U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
Remarks at a Cyber Partnership Agreement Signing With Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet
Remarks
John Kerry
Secretary of State
NATO
Brussels, Belgium
December 3, 2013
MODERATOR: Good afternoon, and thank you all for being here today. It is my pleasure to welcome Secretary of State Kerry and Estonian Foreign Minister Paet who will sign a U.S.-Estonia Cyber Partnership Statement. Estonia is a key ally of the United States and a recognized leader on issues of cyber security and internet freedom. This statement formalizes the commitment of the United States and Estonia to continue working together in key areas to enhance an open, interoperable, secure, and reliable information and communications infrastructure, and to prioritize openness and innovation on the internet.
We now turn to Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Paet for the signing of the statement.
(The statement was signed.)
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Well, I’m very happy to join my counterpart, Foreign Minister Paet, in signing this internet statement, which pledges to increase the cooperation and continue the cooperation between the United States and Estonia with respect to cyber freedom, cyber security, internet freedom. And this is an effort that guarantees that a country like Estonia, which has been a great partner in fighting for internet freedom, is going to help us to build our law enforcement capacity, education capacity, civil society, and provide unfettered access to people for the social media and the internet, even as we manage complex problems in the internet. So we’re delighted and I thank you very, very much for joining with us on this.
FOREIGN MINISTER PAET: Thank you.
SECRETARY KERRY: Thank you. Do you want to say anything, too?
FOREIGN MINISTER PAET: Yeah, sure. I also thank – just to add that United States, of course, is for Estonia very important partner in cyber security issues, also internet freedom issues, and all different, so-called, “E” issues like e-government, e-administration, and so on. And I’m glad that we are not just doing our bilateral cooperation, but we already have done jointly some project in third countries. And I’m really glad that Estonia is experience in IT and e-developments has been really interesting also for more and more countries all around the world. Thank you for this great opportunity.
SECRETARY KERRY: Very much so. Thank you, Urmas. Thank you very much. Thank you very, very much.
FOREIGN MINISTER PAET: Thank you.
