In a resolution adopted this week, the Senate “commends the Baltic states for their commitment to democracy and respect for human rights and for their leadership in furthering these values abroad”.
“Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have shown their resolve as responsible and dedicated members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) by contributing to regional and global security, including to operations in Afghanistan”.
US lawmakers also praised the Baltic nations for “their successful reforms and remarkable economic growth since 1991” and their determination “to strengthen transatlantic security through defense spending and host nation support for NATO deployments.
All three Baltic countries this year are set to meet NATO’s 2 percent of GDP defense spending target.
The resolution also says that “Russia‘s continued aggressive and provocative actions against its neighboring countries, including violations of sovereign Baltic airspace, test both the region and the NATO alliance”.
The United States formally recognized Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as independent countries in 1922.