Baltic security: High-level consultations with US held in Vilnius

TALLINN - The secretary general of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Jonatan Vseviov, took part in high-level security consultations between the United States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in the Lithuanian capital on Thursday.

The meeting with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell discussed Russia's aggression against Ukraine and its implications for European and Indo-Pacific security.

"Security in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region are closely interconnected," said Vseviov. "What happens in Europe affects that region and vice versa, and this must be taken into account when shaping foreign policy."

The consultations held in Vilnius focused on specific cooperation opportunities and the next steps to be taken jointly, both within NATO and in narrower coalitions.

"Europe and the United States can only be successful if they act together," Vseviov emphasized.

The secretary general confirmed that the countries that participated in the consultations are like-minded and committed to restoring Ukraine's territorial integrity. 

Lithuania was represented at the consultations by Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis and Latvia by the state secretary of the Foreign Ministry, Andžejs Viļumsons.

In addition, Vseviov had bilateral meetings in Vilnius with US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, representative of the democratic forces of Belarus Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, Lithuanian Deputy Foreign Minister Simonas Šatūnas and Dovile Šakaliene, member of the Seimas national defense committee.