Other institutions are making valuable contributions. The OSCE and its missions to Estonia and Latvia have helped in advancing the integration of Russian ethnic minorities into Estonian and Latvian society. Creating a prosperous and high growth Baltic region is essential to achieve our other goals here. Continued public support for a cooperative and inclusive security structure and for democratic principles will depend upon prosperous economies. Indeed, with a consumer market of over 50 million and fast growing economies this region has tremendous economic significance for the United States.
Similar funds operate in Poland and Russia.
The U.S. has treaties on taxation with all three Baltic states and Poland. These treaties help foster trade and investment by removing significant tax barriers for U.S. firms doing business in the region. The U.S. has signed bi-lateral investment treaties with all the Baltic states and Poland. This guarantees the right to invest on terms no less favorable than those accorded to domestic or third-country investors. These accords provide a strong basis for trade and investment relations.