NordenBladet —
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Marko Mihkelson participates in the joint visit of the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to Washington, USA, and speaks at the hearing of the Helsinki Commission of the United States Congress.
Mihkelson said that the hearing of the Helsinki Commission would focus on the security of the Baltic States. “It is important to give our US colleagues a detailed overview of the current situation in our region and find additional ways for enhancing the security of the Baltic States through potential deterrence and defence measures,” Mihkelson explained. “The NATO allies have done very much to strengthen the security of the Baltic region and we are very grateful to them for that, but today’s security situation requires additional measures.”
“We have to give Russia a clear signal that the Western countries will not leave democratic Ukraine alone and we will do all we can to ensure that the defenders of Ukraine and of the free world receive the weapons that will help them to victory,” Mihkelson said. In his opinion, it is necessary to act swiftly and jointly to save the civilian population from the war that is acquiring the dimensions of a genocide.
During two days, the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian parliaments have meetings in the US Congress as well as in the Pentagon and the Department of State and leading think tanks.
The Helsinki Commission is an independent US government agency whose task is to monitor compliance with the Helsinki Accords and advance comprehensive security through promotion of human rights, democracy, and economic, environmental, and military cooperation in 57 OSCE countries.
The hearing at the Helsinki Commission will take place on Thursday at 4 p.m. Estonian time and will be streamed online.
Public discussion at the think tank Atlantic Council will be held on Friday at 2.30 p.m. and can be followed live.
Source: Parliament of Estonia