The US president, Donald Trump, will meet with his Estonian counterpart, Kersti Kaljulaid, in Washington, DC, in April.
In addition to Kaljulaid, Trump will also welcome presidents Raimonds Vejonis of Latvia and Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania at the White House. The meeting of the four heads of state will take place on 3 April.
The presidents will celebrate the 100th anniversary of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania’s independence and “set the stage for another century of strong ties between the United States and these three important allies”, the White House said in a statement.
“The United States-Baltic Summit will focus on how best to strengthen our security, business, trade, energy and cultural partnerships,” the statement added.
Highlight the Baltics’ achievements
“The visit will also highlight [the] Baltic states’ achievements since their independence, including their economic growth and recent success in meeting NATO’s defense spending pledge.”
According to the State Department, Estonia and the US are strong allies and partners. The US established diplomatic relations with Estonia in 1922, and when Estonia was occupied by the Soviet Union in 1940, the States never recognised the annexation.
While Estonian presidents frequently visit DC, only two incumbent US presidents have visited Estonia – George W. Bush in 2006 and Barack Obama in 2014.
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Cover: Kersti Kaljulaid in Kadriorg’s presidential palace (image by Renee Altrov). Read also: Kersti Kaljulaid: A small country has only one natural resource – between our ears.
