Riga/Tallinn/Vilnius  - Senior politicians in the three small Baltic states added their voices to the chorus of congratulations for Barack Obama after his US election victory Wednesday.

There was unanimity in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania that the result offered a chance to deepen an already warm transatlantic relationship.

Estonian foreign minister Urmas Paet told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa: "We congratulate Obama and his team on this victory. Bilateral relations between Estonia and the US will be as active, good and deep as they have been so far."

Paet said there was now "a window of opportunity for even more active coordination and cooperation of foreign policy between the European Union and the United States, especially when we speak about issues like Afghanistan or policies vis-a-vis Russia."

"Estonia is a country which values the freedom of every citizen, which is at the top of the lists for press freedom, and so in this regard Estonia is very similar to the United States," Paet added.

Latvian foreign minister Maris Riekstins made a point of remembering Obama's running mate, Senator Joe Biden. He confirmed that he had sent a letter to the US vice president-elect conveying his congratulations and highlighting Biden's work as the Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, as well as his support for Latvia's integration into NATO.

"I am convinced that the contacts between Latvia and the US will continue to develop in the present atmosphere of friendship," Riekstins said.

In Lithuania, the job of congratulating the victorious Democrats fell to President Valdas Adamkus with the outgoing government reluctant to comment after its recent general election defeat.

Adamkus said Obama's victory was significant for the whole of the world and emphasised the importance of transatlantic partnerships.

"I believe that together with the new US administration we will renew and strengthen this partnership where the agendas for advanced energy security and for support of Eastern European democracies play a major role," Adamkus said.

He also made a point of praising the Obama team's "strong stand in the face of Russia's aggression against Georgia" and suggested that in the near future a new US-Baltic future action plan could be developed to improve security and stability in the region. (dpa)