Latvia and Estonia sign deal to buy German-made missile defense system

By STEPHANIE LIECHTENSTEIN

VIENNA (AP) — Estonia and Latvia have signed an agreement with Germany to purchase a medium-range air defense missile system. That opens the way for the two Baltic nations to join a common air defense system proposed by Germany last year. The agreement was signed Monday at a meeting of defense ministers in the German city of Rötenbach. It involved what officials said was the overall sale of 1 billion euros ($1.07 billion) worth of IRIS-T defense systems produced by German company Diehl Defense. Estonia and Latvia previously have signed letters of intent to joint Sky Shield Initiative, which currently includes 16 NATO members, NATO invitee Sweden and the neutral states Austria and Switzerland.