U.S. to provide almost $50 million for development of air bases in Baltics
TALLINN. Dec 24 (Interfax) - The U.S. will provide $25 million for the development of the infrastructure of the air base in Amari near Tallinn, $10 million for the development of the air base Lielvarde in Latvia, and $13 million for the development of the Siauliai air base in Lithuania.
This funding will be allocated from the U.S. defense budget for 2015, the Estonian newspaper Postimees reported on December 22.
The U.S. embassy in Estonia told Postimees the U.S. president has submitted a proposal to finance the development of military infrastructure as an element of support for the strengthening of NATO and European security, which was stated in Poland in June 2014.
"Estonia plans to invest an additional $24.78 million in the development of the air base in Amari. Possible cooperation projects with the U.S. are now being considered," the Estonian Defense Ministry said.
The embassy could not answer a question about the specific forms of cooperation in Amari, adding that the U.S. president had previously promised to increase the number of Air Force training exercises in the region of the Baltic States and Northern Europe.
