The Estonian leaders have congratulated the winner of the US presidential election, Joe Biden, and his running mate, Kamala Harris, for their victory.
The Estonian president, Kersti Kaljulaid, said on Twitter: “Warm congratulations to @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! Estonia and the United States remain strong allies and committed partners. Looking forward to continuing the excellent Estonian-American bond.”
The country’s prime minister, Jüri Ratas, echoed the sentiment: “Warmest congratulations to @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris! 🇺🇸continues to be an important Ally & close friend to 🇪🇪. Looking forward to continuing our strong cooperation with US.”
Estonian member of the European Parliament Urmas Paet (Reform Party), noted on Facebook that Biden and Harris’s election will probably bring on improving the relations between Europe and the US to the level they were before the current president, Donald Trump, was elected.
“This is very important also for Estonia. Both in terms of security and the economic environment,” Paet asserted.
Doesn’t need explaining where Estonia is
Former Estonian prime minister Taavi Rõivas (Reform Party) said in an op-ed in Eesti Päevaleht, an Estonian daily newspaper, that there is a strong sigh of relief from many European capitals.
“Be it the unwavering support to NATO, rejoining the Paris global climate treaty or his style that, unlike his predecessor, offers less surprises, Biden will be a president on whom Europe can count and with whom Europe can work together effectively,” he wrote. Rõivas added that it was also important that no one needs to explain to the 46th president of the United States where Estonia was or what are its security or, for example, energy sector interests.
Estonia’s current foreign minister, Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa), said in an op-ed in Eesti Päevaleht that he does not doubt that during the new US administration, Estonia and the US will continue many cooperation projects and start new ones.
“Our message to the US is clear: we’re interested in expanding the mutual cooperation. From a wider viewpoint, a strong cooperation between Europe and the US is in Estonia’s interests, so that we could together stand against the world’s undemocratic superpowers. The principles Joe Biden has come out with and his former positions about the expansion of NATO and the defence of the Baltic states definitely correspond to our security interests.”
The current president refuses to concede
The former vice president Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 US presidential election when he won the state of Pennsylvania on 7 November and reached 273 electoral votes – three more than the needed 270. He was later declared the winner also in Nevada, raising his electoral tally to 279. His final victory may even be bigger if the remaining states where the vote count hasn’t been completed – Arizona and Georgia – will also vote for Biden.
President-elect Biden’s running mate, now vice president-elect Kamala Harris, will be the first female vice president of the United States and the first woman of colour to hold this position.
The current president, Donald Trump, has however not conceded, but accused the Democrats of electoral fraud and promised a load of lawsuits intended at reversing Biden’s victory.
Cover: Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Photo by Joe Biden’s official Facebook page.
