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Estonian Defense Minister Urmas Reinsalu congratulated the new U.S. secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel, on his appointment and also acquainted him with plans for the withdrawal of Estonian troops from Afghanistan.
Reinsalu acquaints new US defense secretary with Estonia's Afghanistan pullout plan
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Reinsalu wished Hagel success in his responsible job. He emphasized the good Estonia-U.S. relations and voiced hope for even closer cooperation, spokespeople for the Defense Ministry said.
The minister gave Hagel an overview of the Afghanistan pullout plan according to which the infantry company ESTCOY-17 to be deployed in November will be the last Estonian mission unit in southern Afghanistan. Nonetheless, Estonia wants to continue supporting Afghanistan also after the end of the ISAF operation in 2014, he said.
Reinsalu said he hopes that discussions on Estonian-U.S. defense cooperation will continue as successfully as before.