President Lennart Meri received President-Elect Valdas Adamkus of Lithuania at Kadriorg today. Meri and Adamkus talked about common foreign policy priorities of the Baltic countries, the highest among them - now that the European Union's enlargement decision has been made - being that concerning NATO enlargement. Mr Adamkus was interested in the Estonian head of state's estimate of the attitudes the European members of NATO may have toward NATO enlargement.

The substantial agreement reached between the Estonian President and the Lithuanian President-Elect was that the Baltic states should be active first and foremost in the direction of NATO enlargement, speaking for all the three at all public fora as well as bilateral meetings, so that every contact made by any high official of Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania would be of benefit to the foreign policy priorities of all three Baltic countries.

The President-Elect of Lithuania invited the Estonian President to visit him in Vilnius after he has taken office. It is probable that Mr Meri will go to Vilnius after the next traditional meeting of the three Baltic Presidents, which will take place in Latvia, most likely in May.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, February 13, 1998

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