Michal rules out appointing Vaga as Estonia’s defense minister
Estonian Prime Minister Kristen Michal said that Reform Party Secretary General Kristo Enn Vaga will not become the country’s next defense minister. According to Michal, combining the positions of defense minister and party secretary general is incompatible.
As ERR News reports, the Reform Party will begin discussing candidates to replace Hanno Pevkur next week. Michal noted that the new minister will be able to take the oath of office when parliament resumes work next week.
Vaga will remain the party’s secretary general
Kristo Enn Vaga also said that he is not seeking the position of defense minister. He thanked journalists, entrepreneurs and friends who had asked him about such a possibility, calling the speculation a great honor and a sign of trust.
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Vaga said that until the elections, he will focus on his work as secretary general of the Reform Party and help the party find a new defense minister. In his view, the future head of the ministry must continue strengthening Estonia’s defense capabilities, ensure transparency of defense spending exceeding 5% of GDP, and maintain unwavering aid to Ukraine.
Pevkur’s resignation and proceedings
Hanno Pevkur announced his resignation as defense minister on Wednesday on ETV’s news program “Aktuaalne kaamera.” He had held the post since 2022. Michal praised Pevkur for taking political responsibility, stressing that this does not mean his personal responsibility for possible violations.
On Tuesday, prosecutors opened criminal proceedings into circumstances within the Ministry of Defense’s area of responsibility that were examined in reports by the State Audit Office this year and last year. No one has been named a suspect in the case. It also became known on Wednesday that Estonia had tried to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine and made a €70 million advance payment to Indian entrepreneurs who, according to reports, had not previously sold artillery shells.
