Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser met with Rep. Edward Royce (R-Calif.) on Tuesday. Aug. 8, 2017. Source: (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser (SDE) on Tuesday met with U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Rep. Edward Royce (R-Cali.), with whom he discussed partnership relations and security issues.

Mikser and Royce both reaffirmed the good partnership relations between Estonia and the U.S. and discussed topics related to security, spokespeople for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The two also discussed the importance of strategic communication; both Mikser and Royce found that, together, the two countries can assist other Eastern European countries in their fight against Russian propaganda.

“The U.S. is one of Estonia’s most important allies and the relationship between the two countries is very strong,” Mikser said. “This is demonstrated in numerous mutual visits, the presence of U.S. soldiers in Estonia as well as very close cooperation in the field of cybersecurity.”

Other topics discussed at the meeting included strengthening the relationship between the EU and the U.S. in the fight against terrorism, in cyberdefense as well as in transatlantic trade.

“Global trade is not a zero-sum game in which there are winners on one side and losers on the other,” commented the Estonian minister. “Everyone will benefit from a free trade agreement.”

ERR