Today 24 March, Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets and her Baltic counterparts met with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. The ministers reaffirmed their commitment to continued close cooperation and discussed issues related to the region, NATO, the EU, Russia and China.
“With Latvia and Lithuania, we reiterated our support for NATO and the importance of US presence,” Foreign Minister Liimets said. “We must work towards strengthening NATO’s defence and deterrence posture, both by reinforcing and increasing Allied military presence in the Baltic States. As Russia’s immediate neighbors, we are particularly affected by the threats posed by Russia, and we appreciate the United States consulting us on this issue.”
The ministers had a longer discussion on the need to support Eastern Partners, particularly Georgia and Ukraine, and events in Belarus.
They also spoke about the rise of China. “We have a shared concern over developments in China – such as human rights violations and the security risks of technologies. Estonia is interested in the European Union, NATO and likeminded partners coordinating and maintaining unified messages and a common policy towards China. We also spoke about the Three Seas Initiative; its economic projects aim at improving the transport, energy and digital connections of the region, and increasing economic growth and resilience. We welcome the decision of the United States to invest in the Three Seas Investment Fund,” Liimets said.
“We share the views of the new US secretary of state regarding the future of NATO. NATO must deal with emerging threats and remain focused on collective defense,” Liimets added. “Estonia maintains that it is important to strengthen the cooperation of NATO and the European Union, and include other partners.”
Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmUCc8jq
Additional information:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Communication Department
[email protected]