Estonian parliament speaker to US House Speaker: We value US' contribution to European security

TALLINN - Eiki Nestor, speaker of the Estonian Riigikogu, at a meeting with the U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan on Saturday thanked the United States for its contribution to the security of Europe and the Baltic region.

"Estonia greatly appreciates the United States' contribution to the security of both the Baltics and Estonia as well as to the overall security of Europe," Nestor said.

"We are allies and friends, who share the same values. Cooperation with the United States in the fields of security and economy is very important both to Estonia and to the European Union."

According to Ryan, leader of the delegation of the United States House of Representatives visiting Estonia, the visit had two main goals -- to confirm the US' commitment to NATO and to thank Estonia for allocating two percent of its GDP to defence expenditure.

The meeting with the delegation was also joined by deputy chairman of the Riigikogu Enn Eesmaa, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the Riigikogu national defence committee Hannes Hanso, and Keit Pentus-Rosimannus, chair of the group for interparliamentary ties between Estonia and the United States.