On Friday the Minister of Defence Jaak Aaviksoo handed over keys to the new accommodation buildings of the Baltic Defence College to the commandant of the college Brigadier General Gundars Abols.

Vallikraavi Kinnisvara AS constructed altogether five accommodation buildings, each with 17 apartments, for accommodation of the students and teaching staff of the Baltic Defence College in the beginning of Ida Street, located only 30 minutes walk away from the main building of the colledge.

The Ministry of Defence will start to rent the new accommodation buildings within the framework of the first PPP (Public-Private Partnership) project of the Ministry. Unlike regular construction procurements, the Ministry of Defence will not start to deal directly with the construction, furnishing, maintenance and repair of the buildings. Instead, the Ministry will take the buildings on lease for 20 years with monthly rental sum of 949 000 EEK, including all utility costs, cleaning and maintenance service and also repair, if necessary. Upon expiration of the agreement after 20 years the Ministry of Defence will have preemptive right for the purchase of the buildings.

Upon delivery of the keys of the buildings, the Minister of Defence Jaak Aaviksoo said that persistence of the Baltic Defence College as a genuine international educational institution has primary importance from the point of view of the future of the school. „The accommodation buildings opened today will make the college much more attractive study environment for foreign students and teaching staff,“ Aaviksoo said.

According to Aaviksoo the ordered buildings were completed in time, which is quite rare in case of construction procurements, while no concessions were made in quality. „Through the PPP project the Defence Forces will get rid of the tasks of a landlord and experiences gained from this pilot project will be taken into account in future construction procurements of the MoD,“ the Minister of Defence Aaviksoo said.

Until now, the students of the Baltic Defence College were accommodated mainly in Taru Hotel located at Rebase Street, which is amortized and unsuitable for a dormitory from constructional as well as economic point of view.

The Baltic Defence College, founded in 1998 provides NATO-standard training to staff officers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and our partner countries. Baltic Defence College is one of the few defence colleges, where also the officers of non-NATO countries can get staff officer training meeting NATO standards in English.

In the academic year 2010-2011, officers and civil servants from 17 different countries are studying in the Joint Command and General Staff Course and Higher Command Studies Course.


Further information:
Peeter Kuimet
Press Officer of the MoD
Tel. +372 717 0116 / +372 56 56 41 88
peeter.kuimet@kmin.ee