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Pictured here in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. recently are US President Donald J. Trump on the center-right, and seated next to President Trump is Dalia Grybauskaite, the President of Lithuania. Shown on the far left is Kersti Kalujaid, the President of Estonia, and seated opposite Ms Kalujaid is Raimonds Vejonis, the President of Latvia. Official White House photo by Shealah Craighead.
“For a century, the United States has stood with the people of the Baltics in support of their independence, sovereignty, and self-determination”
Said US President Donald J. Trump at the White House in Washington, D.C. recently.
President Trump honored Dalia Grybauskaite, President of Lithuania, Raimonds Vejonis, President of Latvia, and Kersti Kalulaid, President of Estonia, at the U.S. Baltic Centennial Summit.
Through the decades of brutal Soviet occupation, the United States never ceased to recognize the sovereignty of the Baltic republics. In our discussion today, I was proud to reaffirm America’s commitment to the Wells Declaration of 1940 and the U.S. Baltic Charter of 1998, said President Trump. These same principles lie at the heart of America’s approach to world affairs, honoring the right of peaceful citizens and nations to protect their interests and chart their own wonderful destinies.
US President Donald Trump mentioned, in particular, that “All three Baltic republics are committed NATO allies”, and said that “I want to express our gratitude to each of your countries for fulfilling your full obligations and meeting the 2 percent GDP benchmark for national defense this year.”
President Trump added, ” that your commitment to burden sharing is an example, really, that other NATO nations and partners all around the world will have to get together and bear. Some of them do not make the same commitment. Hopefully, they soon will. When nations are committed to peace and to security, they have to pay their share. And we will all enjoy a much more safe and prosperous future.”
In addition, the President of the United States said that “the Baltic countries are also providing security assistance and training as part of the coalition to defeat ISIS. The coalition has liberated almost l00 percent of the territory once held by ISIS in Syria and in Iraq, and we will not rest until ISIS is gone.”
Concerning the economy, collaboration between the US and the Baltic counties is key. Here’s what the US President had to say on doing business with the Baltic countries of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia:
On economic matters, our cooperation continues to develop and grow, as you well know. We are excited about several new opportunities for collaboration, especially in science, medicine, and technology. And immediately following this summit, the Department of Commerce and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will host a US Baltic Business Summit to expand mutual trade and investment between our nations., and they are really looking forward to seeing you.
The US President also stated that “the Baltic countries remain a key market for US aircraft,
automobiles, machinery, and medical equipment, and we welcome increased bilateral trade with all three nations based on the principle of fairness and reciprocity. Finally, we are enhancing our cooperation on energy security. We’re all collaborating to diversify energy sources, supplies, and routes throughout the Baltic region, including expanding exports of U.S. liquefied gas, of which you’ve become a bigger and bigger user.”
All in all, “In the l00th year celebrating Baltic independence, President Trump made It clear that “from the very beginning of your countries’ independence, the United States never ceased to recognize the sovereignty of the three Baltic republics, even though, throughout the years, there’s been a lot of conflict, a lot of problems, a lot of difficulty, and we never let you down. And we won’t let you down.”
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