German president arrives at NATO airbase in Estonia

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier arrived in Estonia on Wednesday and attended a briefing at the Ämari airbase, 40 kilometres south-west of the capital Tallinn, reported dpa.

He is there to learn about his country's joint mission with Britain to safeguard the airspace over the three Baltic republics.

On March 6, the two air forces jointly took over the Baltic Air Policing operation and already started flying missions in support of fellow NATO members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

This consists of a so-called alert rotation, which scrambles one German and one British Eurofighter when unknown aircraft approach Baltic airspace without a transponder signal or radio contact.

Steinmeier later plans to meet his Estonian counterpart, Alar Karis, in Tallinn.