“I believe that we should work towards having a permanent US military representation in Estonia, which would work and train together with Estonian soldiers,” McCain added. Both McCain and Ratas emphasized the importance and success of Estonia’s contribution to the NATO budget.
Together with McCain, Senator Lindsey Graham from South Carolina and Senator Amy Klobuchar (Minnesota) are visiting Estonia. The delegation yesterday met, besides the prime minister, with President Kersti Kaljulaid, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser and commander of the Defense Forces Riho Terras, among others. Terras awarded the army medal for services to McCain for the promotion of Estonia’s defense and security.
Lieutenant General Terras said that Senator McCain has supported the Baltic states’ independence and freedom for decades and has backed us during our NATO accession. He also outlined the Senator’s services to the approval of US aid projects for the Baltic region in the US Senate.
“And now, as the situation has become more complicated, his support to US presence in Europe is loud and clear;” Lt. Gen. Terras said after awarding the medal to Senator McCain. The Senate delegation will also visit Latvia, Lithuania, Ukraine, Georgia and Montenegro.