Mihkelson is participating in a joint visit to the US by the heads of committees from NATO’s Eastern flank
Marko Mihkelson, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu, is on a joint visit by the heads of parliamentary committees from NATO's Eastern flank to Washington during the first half of this week to discuss the security situation and further cooperation with the United States.
According to Mihkelson, the main focus of the high-level meetings will be transatlantic security, maintaining good allied relations, and supporting Ukraine. “During our visit, we want to emphasize the strategic importance of the countries in NATO’s northern and eastern flanks to the alliance, as well as the importance of the continued US presence in Europe for transatlantic security. We will definitely also talk about the need to support Ukraine more than before, and further plans at the meetings,” he said.
During their visit, the chairs of the committees will meet with several members of the U.S. Congress including James Risch, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and Keith Self, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe. The delegates will also participate in the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio’s Hearing in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The delegation will also have meetings with current and former representatives of the National Security Council, including Special Assistant to the President Charles McLaughlin and former US Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg. In addition, the members of parliaments will meet with representatives from the Department of State and the Department of Defense, diplomats, and representatives from leading think tanks.
In addition to Mihkelson, Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Polish Sejm Paweł Kowal, Chair of the Defence Committee of the Finnish Parliament (Eduskunta) Heikki Autto and former Lithuanian Minister of National Defence Dovilė Šakalienė will participate in the visit. The visit is being organized by the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, a Polish think tank that also organizes the prestigious Warsaw Security Forum.
After the visit of the committee chairs, on Thursday, Mihkelson will also participate in meetings in the House of Representatives organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China (IPAC), an inter-parliamentary association established to coordinate the China policies of democratic countries.
Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
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