NordenBladet —
According to Mihkelson, it is also essential to stop the onslaught of Russian imperialism in Georgia by imposing personal sanctions on the oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili and his henchmen, and in order to emerge from the constitutional crisis, it is necessary to hold new and free elections in the country.
Yesterday and the day before, Mihkelson and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Eerik-Niiles Kross had meetings in Washington, D.C. with Jim Risch, who will become Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and Jeanne Shaheen, who will be Deputy Chair of this Committee, as well as with members of the House of Representatives Joe Wilson, Bill Huizenga, Joe Courtney and Brad Schneider.
Mihkelson said that the meetings were an opportunity to reaffirm that Estonia was committed to maintaining and developing good relations with the USA, and continued to honour its alliance commitments, to strengthen its security and to firmly support Ukraine. “Ukraine needs support as long as it has won the war, and the continued contribution of the US is crucial here,” he said. In addition to supporting Ukraine, the continuing of transatlantic cooperation, increasing of European defence contribution, strengthening of deterrence and defence on NATO’s eastern flank and the critical situation in Georgia were also discussed at the meetings.
Together with Member of the European Parliament, former Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament pf Latvia Rihards Kols, Mihkelson and Kross met with the representatives of the US network Business Executives for National Security. The members of the Parliament of Estonia also had a meeting at the think tank Hudson Institute.
Mihkelson and Kross are in the USA to participate in the annual Parliamentary Intelligence-Security Forum in Washington, which will also be attended by Member of the Riigikogu Mati Raidma. At the beginning of next week, Mihkelson will be in Washington with Head of the Estonian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Raimond Kaljulaid to attend the Assembly’s Transatlantic Forum, which will include a visit to the NATO headquarters in Norfolk and a visit to a US naval base.
Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: Mihkelson urged the USA to support Ukraine’s victory plan
Source: Parliament of Estonia