Kallas joins Latvia, Lithuania leaders in committing to NATO ties
Prime Minister Kaja Kallas (Reform) joined the heads of state of Latvia and Lithuania in committing to further NATO-level cooperation in addressing issues relating to the Russian Federation, and also China, ahead of the Brussels NATO summit, which took place Monday.
"The four leaders committed to further strengthening our political, military, and economic partnerships, including working together through NATO to address challenges posed by Russia and China," a White House press release read.
Kallas, together with Latvian president, Egils Levits, and Lithuanian head of state Gitanas Nauseda, met POTUS Joe Biden in Brussels: "On the margins of the NATO Summit in Brussels," as the White House put it.
Had a great meeting with @POTUS together with my colleagues during today's #NATOSummit. I thanked President Biden for his leadership in NATO. is grateful for security assistance. US meaningful military presence in the Baltic states is important for keeping Europe safe. pic.twitter.com/1gNzL3WeBD
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) June 14, 2021
"The president underscored strong US support for the security of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, as well as the entire Baltic region," the statement continued.
The proposed cooperation will work via economic endeavors as well as on the military and political level, BNS reports.
Kallas also appeared alongside Canadian premier Justin Trudeau, in a discussion which covered transatlantic security, cyber security, Russian and other topics, and gave "doorstep" statements in Estonian and English on arrival at the day's proceedings, which can be viewed here. Canada is also lead nation in the NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) Battlegroup in Latvia.
Had a good discussion with @JustinTrudeau at #BrusselsForum on the future of NATO. We agreed on the importance of #transatlantic alliance and responding to current and future security challenges, including #CyberSecurity and #ClimateChange . #NATO2030 pic.twitter.com/1ATImqtaaC
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) June 14, 2021
Kallas noted that Monday was the 80th anniversary of the June 14 1941 Soviet deportation of Estonians, a topic close to her heart since her own mother had been a deportee, during a later round of such atrocities.
The NATO summit was a one-day affair following on from the G7 summit in St. Ives, England. One of the key takeaways was the designation of China as a "systemic" challenge.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
