May 14, 2022
Four senior United States Government officials are visiting Tallinn this week to meet with Estonian government officials and participate in engagements with civil society. The officials are: Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander, Permanent Representative to the OSCE Ambassador Michael Carpenter, and Special Envoy for Belarus Ambassador Julie Fisher.
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines traveled to Tallinn for a variety of meetings and events with top Estonian government officials and women in public service. Estonian President Alar Karis, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, and Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets welcomed DNI Haines for bilateral meetings.
“It was a pleasure to welcome Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines to Tallinn. DNI Haines is the third Cabinet-level U.S. government official to visit Estonia in the past eight months, including also the Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of State,” said Chargé d’Affaires Brian Roraff. “Each of these visits clearly demonstrates the importance and the strength of the U.S.-Estonia partnership – 100 years strong this year – especially as we coordinate our actions to support Ukraine and defend the international rules-based order.”
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Celeste Wallander is visiting Tallinn to meet with Estonian government officials, including Estonian Ministry of Defense Permanent Secretary Kusti Salm, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Jonatan Vseviov, and other officials from the Ministry of Defense. Assistant Secretary of Defense Wallander is also participating in the Lennart Meri Conference, organized by the International Centre for Defence and Security, to highlight the United States’ security commitment to Ukraine, as well as to Estonia and the region.
During his visit to Tallinn, Ambassador Michael Carpenter, U.S. Permanent Representative to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), is meeting with Estonian Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets and Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General Jonatan Vseviov, as well as other Estonian government officials. Ambassador Carpenter is also participating in the Lennart Meri Conference to discuss the important role of international organizations to international law and security.
U.S. Special Envoy for Belarus Ambassador Julie Fisher will visit Tallinn on Monday and Tuesday to meet with senior Estonian government officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Offices of the President and Prime Minister. During her visit, Ambassador Fisher will also meet with members of the Belarusian diaspora in Estonia and give remarks to the Tallinn YouTube Summit for Democracy, highlighting the U.S. government’s commitment to helping advance democracy and human rights in Belarus.
