It’s official: U.S President Obama to visit Estonia for talks before NATO summit

U.S President Barack Obama will visit Estonia on September 3, Estonia's Foreign Ministry has confirmed

The U.S. President will meet with Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas and members of the Estonian government. President Obama will also meet with Latvian President Andris Bērziņš and Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė in Tallinn.

The focus of the visit will be security issues and Estonian, U.S cooperation before the NATO summit in Wales on September 4-5.

"Our bilateral relations are strong, as proven by the dialog between countries on matters important to both Estonia and the United States," the Estonian foreign ministry said in a statement.

"In addition to political dialog, relations between Estonia and the United States are characterized by effective cooperation in the sphere of defense. In recent years, practical cooperation has intensified in the area of cyber defense and in the advancement of democracy."

Baltic leaders have called for permanent NATO presence in their region amid the crisis in the Ukraine. U.S and other forces have conducted a series of military drills this year in the Baltics.