31 July, 2017
"The contribution of the U.S. to the security of the Baltic states and also the whole of Europe is vital, and I certainly wish to thank the vice president", Ratas said before Pence's arrival.
"The vice president's presence here is definitely showing that this is not only about military exercises, but it is also showing unification with our values, with our foreign policy targets, and showing a clear message that we are together", Margvelashvili said.On the last stop, Pence will welcome NATO's newest member with his stop in Montenegro, whose accession to the alliance in June has infuriated Russian Federation.
"Our message to the Baltic States, my message when we visit Georgia and Montenegro will be the same", Pence said in Tallinn.
Pence was speaking on the first leg of a European tour that continues to Georgia and Montenegro.
The trip comes as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania seek USA assurances after years of Russian military expansionism. While recently backing NATO's collective-security pledge, remarks by President Donald Trump have in the past raised doubts about the U.S.'s commitment to the alliance.
On a visit to the Baltics, Pence denounced Russian Federation as an "unpredictable neighbor" that sought to "redraw worldwide borders by force". Washington in the past has argued the missiles are meant to deter missile attacks from Iran and other unpredictable regimes, while Russian Federation sees them as an unacceptable escalation of US power near its borders.
"Well, the president has made it very clear that Russia's destabilizing activities, its support for rogue regimes, its activities in Ukraine, are unacceptable", he told Fox News during an interview in Tallinn, Estonia Sunday.
Putin's decision to cut staff members was also a delayed retaliation to sanctions imposed at the end of Barack Obama's presidency in 2016, when the United States expelled 35 Russian diplomats from the country and seized two compounds used by Russian missions.
In Estonia, Pence is expected to highlight bilateral ties with the US, particularly on trade, investment and cyber issues.
The US Vice President Mike Pence will visit Montenegro on 2 August. On August 1 a meeting between the Prime Minister and the US Vice President will be held at the Administration of the Government of Georgia, followed by joint press statements.
Relations between Moscow and Tallinn have been fraught since Estonia broke free from the Soviet Union in 1991, joining both the EU and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation in 2004.