A growing support

Minister of Foreign Affairs Toomas Hendrik Ilves said in Washington after meetings with influential members of the U.S.Congress that a growing support for calling the Baltic States into NATO is felt in the Congress. "Democrats, as well as republicans in the Congress have always supported the Baltic States and the same is valid in relation to NATO enlargement," Estonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs stated. On Tuesday Toomas Hendrik Ilves met in Washington with Head of the U.S. Congress Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Douglas Bereuter and Senator John McCain, who expressed support to the aspirations of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to accede to NATO. Senator McCain and Congressman Bereuter confirmed that the new government of the United States of America feels very clearly the growing support of the Congress to the Baltic States. In the words of Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilves the opinion of the Congress is very important. "As was seen at the previous enlargement of NATO, the Congress has a say in the matter, because in case the Congress is supportive the Administration will take action towards NATO enlargement more easily " Ilves marked. Ilves also discussed the situation in Russia and Ukraine with the representatives of the Congress, he outlined Estonia’s accession to the European Union and the support of the public opinion to the accession to the European Union and NATO. Yesterday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilves made a report in Washington in the Centre of International and Strategic Studies noting that the acceptance of the Baltic States into NATO will add to stability, not diminish it. Ilves emphasised that it is essential for Estonia to belong to the European Union, as well as NATO. "The European Union and NATO complete each other and it cannot be haggled over, which of them should be preferred. At the accession to NATO the European Union will be a very important factor for us, since it means the same values and political criteria as with NATO," Ilves said. The Minister of Foreign Affairs stated that there is no need for Russia to be afraid of NATO's enlargement, Estonia is not afraid of the danger from Russia either. "The accession of the Baltic States to NATO means better relations with Russia, that has already been proved by the accession to NATO of Poland, Hungary and Czech Republic," Ilves said.