The United States secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, wishes to increase cooperation with Estonia, he confirmed in a letter to the Estonian foreign minister.
At a meeting that took place recently in Tallinn, Estonia, with the US undersecretary of state, David Hale, the Estonian foreign minister, Urmas Reinsalu, delivered a letter to Pompeo about opportunities to increase cooperation between the two countries.
In his response letter to Reinsalu, Pompeo expressed readiness to increase cooperation between the two countries, the Estonian foreign ministry said in a statement.
Pompeo brought out the fact that Estonia’s election to the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member presented “a historic opportunity to deepen cooperation between the two countries”, the foreign ministry said. “As part of this, he invited Estonian representatives to Washington this autumn to new member consultations, highlighting Estonia’s experience and expertise in cyber issues. He also gave an overview of the United States’ priorities at this year’s UN General Assembly.”
Pompeo thanked Estonia for its support for sanctions against Russia
Pompeo noted “the importance of close relations between our two countries, particularly in today’s era of great power competition, when unity and cohesion are essential to secure collective defence”, the foreign ministry pointed out.
According to the ministry, Pompeo also thanked Estonia for its strong support for the US and EU sanctions towards Russia and “stressed the importance of transatlantic unity in all foreign policy aspects, including relations with China and Iran”.
According to Pompeo, the EU security cooperation should be complementary to NATO’s defence activities. He also confirmed that the United States remained committed to arms control that advances security for the allies, the ministry said.
The Three Seas Initiative
In his letter, Pompeo also expressed his support for Estonia’s role in hosting the Three Seas Summit that would present another good opportunity to enhance cooperation. A strong, secure and well-connected Three Seas region strengthens the EU as a whole and boosts its profile as a destination for US investment, the foreign ministry added.
The Three Seas Initiative, also known as the Baltic, Adriatic, Black Sea Initiative, is a forum of twelve states in the European Union, located in Central and Eastern Europe. The combined area connects the Adriatic Sea, Baltic Sea and Black Sea. The initiative aims to create a regional dialogue on a variety of questions affecting the member states. The twelve members met for their first summit in 2016, in Dubrovnik, and Estonia is to host the 2020 summit, which would be the initiative’s fifth.
The initiative has twelve member states along a north-south axis from the Baltic Sea to the Adriatic Sea and the Black Sea: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.
Cover: The United States secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, at a press conference in Castle Grande in Bellinzona, Switzerland, on June 2, 2019. Photo by Ron Przysucha.
