Estonian president congratulates Trump on inauguration

TALLINN - Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid on Friday sent a letter of congratulation to Donald Trump on his inauguration as the 45th president of the United States.

Kaljulaid said Estonia attaches great importance to its strong relations with the United States and that during the Trump presidency Estonia looks forward to furthering our close bilateral ties in many key areas, including defense and cyber security, spokespeople for the Estonian president said.

Kaljulaid said she agrees with the view that an adequate level of defense spending is necessary in order for NATO to continue to effectively provide for collective defense. "We are proud to be one of the five NATO members that meet the defense budget target of 2 percent of GDP and we strongly encourage other allies to do the same," the Estonian president said.

She also said that Estonian military personnel is serving on missions to ensure international security, including to fight against terrorism.

The president said that given the multiple common challenges facing Europe and the United States, we need strong transatlantic cooperation because Europe and the United States can achieve more together. We stand together to uphold democratic values, human rights and freedom in the whole world, she added.

Kaljulaid wished the new president of the United States every success in carrying out his duties in this important office.