Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-31 22:13:39|Editor: ying

TALLINN, July 31 (Xinhua) -- The presidents of three Baltic states met here Monday with U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on transatlantic relations, cyber issues and innovation.

Strengthening transatlantic relations is one of the priorities of Estonia's current presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid was quoted as saying in a press release.

She also mentioned NATO's enhanced presence in the Baltic states, cyber security, and Estonia's digital solutions in the public sector.

At a joint press conference with Kaljulaid and Latvian and Lithuanian Presidents Raimonds Vejonis and Dalia Grybauskaite, Pence reiterated his country's commitment to the security of the Baltic states and any of the treaty allies of the United States.

Later, Estonia Commander of the Defence Forces, General Riho Terras, introduced Pence to the NATO combat group in Estonia, which consists of soldiers from the United Kingdom, France, and Estonia.

Ending his two-day visit to Estonia, Pence was due to arrive in Georgia, the second stop of his tour, late Monday, which will be followed by a trip to Montenegro, the newest NATO member.

NATO has deployed four combat-ready battalions of 4,000 troops each in Poland and the Baltic countries. Deployment started from early this year, while Russia called on NATO to stop confrontation and seek better relations with Moscow. Enditem