Estonian Review 5 - 11 November 2010

FOREIGN NEWS
DOMESTIC NEWS
DEFENCE NEWS
ECONOMIC NEWS
CULTURAL NEWS
SPORTS NEWS

FOREIGN NEWS

Canadian Foreign and Defence Ministers Say Estonia is Valued Ally in Ensuring Security

5 November - At their meetings with Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, Canadian Foreign Minister Lawrence Cannon and Defence Minister Peter MacKay recognised Estonia’s important and visible contribution to building up Afghanistan. Foreign Minister Paet said that both Estonian and Canadian soldiers work to stabilise the security situation in southern Afghanistan. Paet gave Cannon an overview of Estonia’s civil contribution to developing the health care system in Helmand Province. “In its civil aid, Estonia focuses first and foremost on health care, improving the situation of women and children, and establishing good administrative practices,” he added. Defence Minister McKay stated that Estonia’s soldiers are highly valued allies in ensuring security in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province.
Foreign Minister Paet invited Canada to participate in the Eastern Partnership Training Centre that will be established in Tallinn. “The training centre will focus on increasing administrative capacity in the public sector of Eastern Partnership states and on sharing reform experiences. The participation of Canada and all of our international partners is welcome,” he stated.
Paet asserted that Estonia-Canada co-operation has been successful in the development aid sector as well. “In co-operation with Canada we have shared economic policy experiences with Ukrainian state officials and helped to alleviate the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti,” said Paet.
Paet noted that Estonia would like to intensify relations with Canada by expanding its network of honorary consuls. “Estonia just opened an honorary consulate in Halifax, and starting today a new honorary consul will begin working in Quebec,” he stated.
Paet and Cannon also discussed developments in the Arctic.
Paet said that Estonia would like for the role of the European Union in Arctic issues to increase and that the EU should gain observer status in the Arctic Council. “Because the Arctic is so vulnerable, all of us co-operating is inevitable and would be beneficial for the environmental, economic and security sectors,” said Paet.
At his meeting with Canadian Minister of Defence Peter McKay, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that Canada is welcome to participate in the work of the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Estonia. “Cyber crime does not recognise borders, which is why international co-operation is extremely important for ensuring cyber security,” Paet emphasised.
Paet and McKay also addressed co-operation in NATO, including NATO’s new Strategic Concept, matters related to the Afghanistan mission, and Estonia-Canada bilateral defence co-operation. Canada was the first NATO member state to ratify Estonia’s NATO accession protocol.

Supporting Georgia’s Territorial Integrity is Fundamentally Important

10 November - During his meeting today with Georgian Foreign Ministry Gregory Vashadze, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet emphasised that Estonia supports Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “Both European Union and NATO member states must clearly observe Georgia’s territorial integrity and give practical weight to the non-recognition policy of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on a daily basis,” stated Foreign Minister Paet.
“The strong and visible presence of the European Union in Georgia is also necessary,” stated Paet. “Therefore the European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia is currently irreplaceable for preventing new conflicts; the mission should also have access to the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” he added.
In talking about Georgia’s integration with NATO and the EU, Foreign Minister Paet noted that it is important for Georgia to continue its domestic and economic reforms. “Developing economic relations between the EU and Georgia is a part of the broader integration with the Union. Beginning negotiations for a comprehensive free trade agreement is also a step towards EU integration. We have offered Georgia help in preparing for negotiations and implementing reforms,” stated Foreign Minister Paet. “We also support visa facilitation coming into effect for citizens of Georgia travelling to the European Union,” he added.
Paet confirmed to Vashadze that Georgia will remain one of Estonia’s development co-operation priority countries in Estonia’s new development co-operation action plan for 2011-2015. Paet proposed to his colleague to hold bilateral development co-operation related consultations at the beginning of 2011.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet also recommended that Georgia use the opportunities offered within the framework of EU Neighbourhood Policy and Eastern Partnership to their fullest extent.
While discussing bilateral relations, Paet and Vashadze agreed that in order to intensify Estonia-Georgia economic relations, the legal base must be further developed. “We are interested in an agreement for the protection of investments and a social security agreement coming into force as soon as possible,” Paet asserted.

Georgian Foreign Minister Invites Estonian Speaker to Visit Georgian Parliament

11 November (BNS) - The foreign minister of Georgia, Gregory Vashadze, delivered an invitation to Speaker of the Estonian Parliament Ene Ergma from Georgian Parliamentary Speaker David Bakradze to visit Georgia.
During their meeting in Tallinn, Ergma gave the Georgian foreign minister an overview of the role of the Estonian parliament in handling of the state budget and of the austerity policy during the economically difficult times. Ergma and Vashadze also spoke about the tasks and the role of the opposition in the parliaments of the two countries as well as on the local level, spokespeople for the Estonian parliament said.
In the words of Vashadze, the problem of the Georgian opposition is its fragmentation, as people do not gather on the basis of ideology but of persons. At the same time, in the local elections for the first time the focus lay on important topics such as social issues and the economy, peaceful transfer of power took pace and international organisations considered the elections democratic.
Estonia knows from its own experience how important support from other countries is on the path of democratic reform, Ergma said, adding that Estonia supports Georgia in every way and contributes to increasing the visibility of the EU there.

All Forms of Co-operation Between Estonia and Afghanistan to Intensify

9 November - Bilateral relations between Estonia and Afghanistan are becoming closer and more diverse all the time, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet acknowledged today during his meeting with Governor of Afghanistan’s Helmand Province Gulab Mangal.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that co-operation between Estonia and Afghanistan has for a long time already extended beyond military activity. “Afghanistan is Estonia’s bilateral development co-operation priority partner, and therefore our development aid and our efforts to stabilise the security situation are focused on Helmand Province. We wish to contribute to the health care and education sectors,” stated the foreign minister, confirming that Estonia will continue to co-ordinate health care matters in the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Lashkar Gah. Paet said that Estonia would like for aid co-operation to develop into co-operation between the societies as soon as possible.
Governor Mangal said that Helmand Province has clearly progressed in its development during the past few years, although the situation remains complicated. Remarkable progress has been made in
Helmand during the past two years in both the security situation as well as in health care and education.
Paet emphasised that one factor that is necessary for developing Afghanistan’s society is the efforts of the Afghan government to integrate the nation and support domestic reconciliation. “In the reconciliation of society, it is important that reforms in the name of integration cannot take place at the expense of human rights, especially those of women,” stressed the Estonian foreign minister.
At their meeting, Paet and Mangal also discussed Afghanistan’s parliamentary election that took place in the fall and prerequisites for transferring responsibility for the security situation in different regions of Afghanistan. “Afghan President Karzai has said that the Afghan security forces will be ready to take on security responsibilities as of 2014. The fact that the elections went fairly smoothly in Helmand Province shows that the Afghan army and police are constantly developing the capability to keep the peace in Afghanistan,” said Paet. “From Estonia’s perspective, the most recent developments seem to suggest that in some regions of Afghanistan the transfer may gradually begin,” Paet noted.
Governor of Helmand Province Mangal will meet this week with members of Riigikogu and representatives of the foreign and defence ministries. He will also participate in the international conference “Women, Peace and Security—the Afghan View” taking place in Tallinn from 11-12 November.

President Stresses Importance of Via Baltica in Meeting with Latvian PM

5 November (BNS) – Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis visited Estonia and met with Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.
Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and Latvian Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis discussed their support for the creation of a crisis management mechanism in the EU and are ready to join it, Ansip said. "If it is necessary to change one sentence in the basic treaty for progress then Estonia is prepared to go for it," he said.
Dombrovskis noted that the visit to Estonia is his first foreign trip as head of the new government. He congratulated Estonia on the changeover to the single euro currency, adding that Latvia endeavours to fulfil the Maastricht criteria by 2012 and adopt the euro in 2014.
Both prime ministers noted that opportunities for bilateral co-operation will come under discussion at a special conference in the Latvian capital Riga on 10 December.
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said in his meeting with Latvian Prime Minister Dombrovskis that he hopes that both the Rail Baltica and the Via Baltica project remain a priority for Latvia's new government. Ilves stated that both transport projects, the railway link and the road link, are for Estonia among the most important aspects of Baltic co-operation next year, the president's office said. "We want to start close co-operation to launch passenger train traffic on the existing railway route Tallinn-Riga-Kaunas-Warsaw," Ilves said. "This requires a political agreement between Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the European Commission that all parties are ready to start drawing up the economic and technical conditions, or the so-called Rail Baltica Action Plan."
In the president's words, the fact that the prime minister's first foreign trip during his new term was to Estonia demonstrates better than a thousand words the close communication and stable relations between the two countries.
Ilves and Dombrovskis hailed the completion of NATO's new strategy concept and underlined that the strength and the credibility of the alliance depend on each member state's contribution to collective defence.

Estonia Supports Work of International Commission Investigating Conflict in Kyrgyzstan

8 November - The Foreign Ministry is supporting the work of the unbiased international commission investigating the violent conflict that erupted in the southern part of Kyrgyzstan in June of 2010 with 7 000 euros. In addition to its financial contribution, Estonia also has one expert working on the commission – President of Tallinn University’s Academy of Law Rein Müllerson.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that the international community has repeatedly emphasised the necessity of clarifying the reasons behind the Kyrgyzstan conflict and opportunities for avoiding similar incidents in the future. “Estonia supports the work of the unbiased international investigation commission, which was created on the initiative of the Nordic countries. Investigating the events in June is necessary for lessening the tensions that are prevalent in the region and restoring trust and understanding among people,” said Paet. “Peace and stability in Central Asia are key issues in the further development of the region. Potential new conflicts are a threat to the entire region and have a negative influence on the entire region, including Afghanistan,” confirmed the Estonian foreign minister.
Foreign Minister Paet also expressed hope that the nations involved would fully co-operate with the commission and guarantee the members of the commission access to the necessary information. The goal of the unbiased investigation commission created on the initiative of the Nordic countries is to study the causes of the conflict, draw conclusions and make recommendations for alleviating tensions and preventing future conflicts. Currently the members of the commission have already begun working and gone on-site to Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia. The investigation commission will present its report at the end of January 2011. The investigation committee has seven members from Estonia, Finland, Australia, Turkey, France, Russia, and Great Britain.
In June of 2010 a violent conflict erupted in the southern part of Kyrgyzstan, during the course of which at least 350 people died, according to official data. At least 300 000 people were forced to flee their homes, and over 100 000 people, most of them of Uzbek descent, fled to Uzbekistan, and many also to Kazakhstan and Russia.

Estonia Chosen as Member of UN Women Executive Board

11 November - On 10 November the UN Economic and Security Council chose Estonia as a member of the Executive Board of the newly created UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).
The new UN agency, which was created on 2 July, will address women’s rights and equality issues all over the world and implement concrete and focused programmes for improving the situation of women in developing countries. The creation of the agency was preceded by six months of intense negotiations among the UN member states led by the ambassadors of Estonia and Tunisia in order to achieve an agreement on bringing together all of the UN sub-organisations addressing the rights of women under one agency. The agency UN Women, created under the leadership of Estonia and Tunisia, will be led by former president of Chile Michelle Bachelet.
The Executive Board is the governing body of the UN Women agency, which supports the agency on behalf of the member states and monitors the agency’s activities. Estonia was chosen largely thanks to its visible past contributions to promoting women’s rights in the work of the UN. Estonia’s membership status in the Executive Board of the UN Entity for Gender Equality (UN Women) will last until the end of 2012. From 2007-2009 Estonia was the chairman of the Consultative Committee of the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), which is now a part of UN Women.
There are a total of 41 UN member states on the executive board of UN Women, through which all the regions in the world are represented.

Estonia, Finland Back Punishments for Violators of EU Stability Rules

9 November (BNS) - Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and his Finnish counterpart Mari Kiviniemi, in their meeting in the Finnish capital Helsinki, expressed support for imposing punishments for violations of the European Union's financial stability rules that would be applied automatically. Ansip said in his remarks to BNS that on the level of the European Union the views of Estonia and Finland were completely similar.
"We are both interested in creating a permanent crisis management system on the level of the EU, and both Finland and Estonia are countries that respect a conservative fiscal policy and adhere to the same principles. We want for the EU member states to meet the criteria of the stability and growth pact," he said.
Ansip and Kiviniemi stated that bilateral relations between Estonia and Finland and their co-operation in the EU have developed well and the state of political and economic relations between the countries is good. As the Estonian premier pointed out, a quarter of the direct foreign investments made in Estonia have been made by Finnish companies, Finland is Estonia's largest trade partner, and 19% of Estonia's exports go to Finland. The prime minister of Finland highlighted the stability that the euro has offered to the Finnish economy. Even though Finns had been using their markka since 1860, they nevertheless decided to give up their cherished currency and join the euro zone, because they saw very big advantages in the euro compared with their beloved and cherished markka, the Estonian premier said.
Ansip and Kiviniemi spoke about the co-ordination of taxes on the level of the EU. "We, too, have co-ordinated our tax policy decisions with our neighbours, it's not about harmonisation of taxes but about co-ordination. Of course it is in Estonia's interest," Ansip said.
The prime minister said Estonia shouldn't fear the harmonisation of tax policy either. "When we speak about the tax base, we are interested in greater harmonisation, because through it member states of the EU will actually become comparable. Estonia as we know has very few tax exemptions, favourable tax rates, and in order for tax rates to be better comparable the tax bases should be harmonised," he said.

Estonian Ambassador to United Kingdom Presents Credentials

11 November – Estonian Ambassador to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Aino Lepik von Wirén presented her credentials to Queen Elizabeth II.
In the discussion following the presenting of credentials, Her Majesty and Ambassador Lepik von Wirén discussed bilateral relations between Estonia and the United Kingdom and acknowledged the very good co-operation between the two nations. Queen Elizabeth II recognised the Estonian soldiers that participate in battle activities in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province alongside British soldiers. Queen Elizabeth II expressed interest in Estonia’s current economic situation and the Estonian ambassador told Her Majesty about Estonia’s transition process to the euro.
The Queen also recalled her encounters with Estonians that were living in exile in the 1950s.
Ambassador Aino Lepik von Wirén was born in 1961 in Stockholm. She graduated from the faculty of law at Stockholm University in 1987 and has also studied at the University of Surrey in England. Aino Lepik von Wirén has done diplomatic work since 1994, when she began working in the Foreign Ministry’s legal department as the head of the human rights division. From 1994-1999 Aino Lepik von Wirén was also Estonia’s representative to the European Commission Against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), and from 1997-1999 she was the director general of the legal department. Following that, Aino Lepik von Wirén was the Estonian ambassador to Portugal from 2003-2006 and the Estonian ambassador to Israel from 2007-2010. Before assuming her current position, Aino Lepik von Wirén served as the Foreign Ministry’s undersecretary for legal and consular affairs.
Lepik von Wirén speaks Swedish, English and French. Aino Lepik von Wirén is married with one son and one daughter.

DOMESTIC NEWS

Parliament Ratifies Agreement for Entry into OECD

10 November (BNS) - The parliament here on Wednesday ratified the agreements on Estonia's accession to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
The ratification bill covers three agreements: the OECD Convention, the privileges and immunities agreement between the Estonian government and the OECD, and the agreement setting out Estonia's rights and duties as an OECD member.
Estonia expressed interest in becoming a member of the OECD back in 1996 and received an invitation to accession talks in 2007, which ended this spring with the signing of the accession agreement.
Estonia will become a full member of the OECD after depositing the instrument of accession with the depositary government, France. That can happen still before the end of this year.

DEFENCE NEWS

Aaviksoo Discusses Defence Co-operation with British Colleague

5 November - Minister of Defence Jaak Aaviksoo met his British colleague Liam Fox this morning to discuss issues related to mutual defence co-operation between the two countries. A wide range of defence policy issues were discussed during the meeting. The ministers talked of the upcoming NATO summit in Lisbon, expressing their satisfaction with the draft of the new strategic concept of the alliance. Other topics covered were the future of the Baltic air policing operation and British contribution to this operation, the co-operation between NATO and Russia, and the role of Turkey in European security architecture. Aaviksoo also thanked Fox for good co-operation in Afghanistan and especially for the treatment of wounded Estonian servicemen in the University of Birmingham and Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre.
Defence Minister Aaviksoo expressed delight for the fact that after a long time he was able to hold a meeting with his British colleague. “I am happy to say that the preparation of Estonian copter pilots in co-operation with UK is also progressing successfully. We also achieved an agreement for the visit of minister Fox to Estonia and a possible joint visit of the defence ministers of Estonia, UK and Denmark to Afghanistan in the beginning of the coming year,” Aaviksoo said.
Defence minister Fox emphasised the need for intensification of defence co-operation between the Nordic and Baltic countries and the United Kingdom and Poland. On the initiative of Fox, a joint meeting with the defence ministers of UK and Poland will be held next week in Oslo within the framework of the meeting of the Nordic and Baltic defence ministers. In the afternoon Minister of Defence Aaviksoo also visited the Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre, where Estonian servicemen wounded during foreign missions are being treated.

Nordic, Baltic Ministers Discuss Future of Defence Co-operation

11 November (BNS) - A meeting of the defence ministers of the Nordic and the Baltic countries was held in Oslo. The focus was on the future of defence co-operation between the countries, and a separate meeting was held with leaders of the defence ministries of Britain, Poland and Germany. Estonian Defence Minister Jaak Aaviksoo said deepening defence co-operation among the five Nordic countries and past successful activities between the Baltic countries have created a good foundation for defence co-operation in the so-called Nordic-Baltic format. "This meeting gave that co-operation a clear political base and framework. The common projects would be regular joint manning of the European Union's Nordic Battle Group, developing the Baltic Defence College to become a regional training institution, and developing the Baltic Sea surveillance system SUCBAS (Sea Survaillance Cooperation in the Baltic Sea and Approaches)," Aaviksoo was quoted by spokespeople as saying.
The Estonian minister said this was a good sign, showing that despite the formal fragmentation of northern Europe common understanding in the domain of defence was good and the desire and skills to work closely were at a good level. He expressed confidence that the co-operation will be successful and of practical benefit for Estonia.
Within the framework of the same get-together, a meeting of the Nordic and Baltic defence ministers took place with Britain's Defence Secretary Liam Fox and the state secretaries of the ministries of defence of Germany and Poland.
Aaviksoo said that these countries together make up more than a quarter of Europe and have close security interests and risks. “I see this co-operation as having future, first of all in the joint surveillance of air and sea, but definitely also in cyberspace. It would be fine if all these countries could work together within the framework of the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of excellence in Tallinn," said the Estonian minister.

Estonia Gets 81 mm Mortars from USA

9 November (BNS) - US Ambassador Michael C. Polt presented the Estonian Defence Forces with 12 mortars supplied to Estonia by the United States as military assistance. The 81 mm M252 mortars, of which 80 units total will be given to Estonia within the project, will significantly improve the capability of Estonian mission units. They will also be used to equip wartime units of the Defence Forces, military spokespeople in Tallinn said.
The United States will definitely continue co-operation with its ally Estonia not only through close diplomatic, political and strategic relations, but is also giving a tangible sign of its continued contribution to our common defence capability and the future of the alliance, Polt said according to remarks relayed by the spokespeople. "The United States government has this year contributed more than nine million dollars to the military assistance programme for Estonia," the ambassador said.
"Estonia's defence co-operation with the United States is not only strategic in the framework of NATO and tactical on the mission in Afghanistan, but also emotional, which has found expression both during the landing exercise in Lahemaa this summer as well as in today's delivery of weapons received as a gift," the Estonian Minister of Defence Jaak Aaviksoo said, adding that this served as a conformation of genuine brotherhood in arms.
The mortars will be used in Afghanistan by the mortar unit of the Estonian infantry company whose task is to provide long range fire support to the infantry during operations. The Estonian infantry company in Afghanistan has been using a mortar platoon to support its activity since 2008.
Under the same programme, Estonia will get four sets of Raven unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, or drones, as military assistance from the United States. Each of the sets consists of three aircraft and a ground control station.

ECONOMIC NEWS

Economy Grows 4.7 Percent in Third Quarter

11 November (BNS) - Estonia's gross domestic product grew by 4.7% in the third quarter of this year compared to the same period of 2009, the national statistics office reports.
The GDP of the third quarter was above all influenced by the growth of value added in manufacturing created due to a strong increase in exports, Statistics Estonia said. The sales of manufacturing production on the domestic market increased as well, indicating an improvement in domestic demand. Domestic sales of manufacturing production increased last in the first quarter of 2008.
According to preliminary calculations the gross value added produced by the industrial sector as a whole increased by 14%, and without taking the economic activity of construction into account, even by 23%. Besides manufacturing, the industrial sector also includes mining, electricity, gas and water supply, and construction activities. In construction, the output of which is mainly targeted at the domestic market, the generated value added showed a continued downward trend.
In addition to the manufacturing sector, growth of the value added created in the wholesale and retail trade and transport, storage and communications activities also had a bigger impact on GDP growth. Growth of the value added in financial intermediation accelerated mainly due to a strong growth in the net interest income.
The value added of households, non-profit institutions and the general government sector decreased, preliminary figures show.
Quarter on quarter, the seasonally and working-day adjusted GDP increased by 0.5% in the third quarter, by 1.9% in the second quarter and by 1.1% in the first quarter. Thus, in the comparison of successive quarters, the GDP growth rate slowed down somewhat in the third quarter. Estonia's GDP grew by 3.1% year-on-year in the second quarter. Before showing year-on-year growth in the second quarter, the Estonian economy last expanded on annual comparison in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Estonian Air to Fly to Europe with Intermediate Stops

5 November (BNS) - The strategy of the Estonian national carrier Estonian Air calls for operating flights to Europe with intermediate stops in Poland, for instance, in order to boost the load factor of planes, ensure profitability, and add daily destinations.
Presenting the vision of the company's strategy to journalists on Friday, Estonian Air CEO Andrus Aljas said the operation of the Tallinn–Vilnius–Amsterdam route so far has proved that success can be achieved with intermediate stops. In July, for instance, the load factor of Tallinn–Vilnius–Amsterdam flights was 90%, which is a very good result in aviation.
The chairman of the supervisory board of Estonian Air, Joakim Helenius, said that because of the small size of the Estonian market it was not possible for Estonian Air to serve a large number of destinations with a good load factor.

Exports in September Biggest in Last Two Years

9 November (BNS) - Exports of goods from Estonia in September were the biggest in the last two years, amounting to 13.2 billion kroons (EUR 841 mln), the national statistics office said. The monthly imports totalled 13.5 billion kroons. The export turnover was last on a similar level in October 2008. Year on year, exports of goods grew by 40% and imports by 35%.
The trade deficit was 0.3 billion kroons. The shortfall decreased nearly two times compared to September 2009.
Estonian exports to European Union countries amounted to 9.2 billion kroons, accounting for 70% of total exports. Exports to EU countries increased by 41% on annual comparison.
Exports to non-EU countries grew by 37%. Imports of goods from EU countries totalled 11.3 billion kroons, making up 84% of total imports. Compared to September 2009, imports from EU countries increased by 39%. Imports from third countries increased by 20%.
The trade deficit with EU countries was 2.1 billion kroons. In trade with third countries a surplus of 1.8 billion kroons was recorded.
Month on month exports grew by 18% and imports by 10%.

Tallink Accounts for 60 Percent of Tallinn Port’s Passenger Flows

9 November (BNS) - In October 657 879 passengers passed through the port of Tallinn, of whom 60% or 422 797 were clients of the listed Estonian shipper Tallink.
Next came Viking Line and Eckerö Line with respectively 148 771 and 83 091 passengers, it appears from statistics of the port.
Other shipping companies served 2 439 passengers and cruise ships carried 781 passengers in October. All told 6.7 million passengers passed through the port of Tallinn in 10 months compared to 6.2 million during the same period last year.

Number of Tourists Staying in Accommodation Establishments Up by Tenth

10 November (BNS) - In the first nine months of this year 1.9 million foreign and domestic tourists stayed at Estonian accommodation establishments, 11% more than during the same period last year, the national statistics agency said. The number of foreign tourists increased by 13% and that of domestic tourists by 8%.
From January to September 1.2 million foreign tourists stayed at accommodation establishments in Estonia. This exceeds by 7% results for the same period of 2008, the best year for accommodation establishments of the past decade. Foreign tourists continue to account for two thirds of the total number of tourists and they mostly use the services of accommodation establishments of Tallinn.
More than half, or 53%, of foreign tourists arrived from Finland, 100 000 from Russia and 75,000 from Germany. An increase on annual comparison was recorded in the number of tourists from all major partner countries.
The number of domestic tourists staying at accommodation establishments from January to September exceeded 600 000, which marks an increase of 8% compared to the same period last year but falls short of the figures for 2007 and 2008.
The average cost of a guest night in an accommodation establishment was 446 kroons (EUR 29), 3% lower than a year ago. The average cost was the highest in the capital city Tallinn at 538 kroons. In the southwestern seaside resort of Pärnu the average cost was 365 kroons.

CULTURAL NEWS

Parliament Speaker Unveils Memorial Tablet to Estonian Artist in Marrakech

6 November (BNS) - Speaker of the Estonian Riigikogu Ene Ergma, who is on an official visit to Morocco, unveiled a memorial tablet to the renowned Estonian artist Eduard Wiiralt in Marrakech. The tablet, with texts in Estonian, French and Arabic, marks the place in the Old Town of Marrakech where the artist lived for a while before World War II.
The Estonian Foreign Ministry reached an agreement in negotiations with the Marrakech municipal authorities on preserving the memory of the artist in the place where he used to live, spokespeople for the parliament said.
Wiiralt lived in Marrakech from July 1938 till February 1939. Art historians have noted that his stay in Morocco gave him fresh energy and inspiration, singling out prints like "Young Arab"
(mezzotint, 1940) and "Berber Girl with a Camel" (soft ground, 1940).
Ergma met in Marrakech with the city's first female mayor Fatima Zahra Mansour. The two exchanged thoughts about cultural exchanges, finding that Tallinn's status as the European Capital of Culture 2011 offers good opportunities for this. The mayor was pleased to observe that Wiiralt was already in the 1930s an important cultural ambassador who brought her country closer to Estonians.

Canadian Estonian Have Made Strong Contribution to Estonia’s Development

6 November - Foreign Minister Urmas Paet met in Ottawa and Toronto with members of the Estonian community in Canada. He stated that the role Estonians living in Canada play in preserving Estonia’s culture and traditions is very important, and many Canadian-born Estonians have contributed to the development of the Estonian nation after re-independence. “Following the restoration of Estonia’s independence, many Estonians from Canada have returned to their fatherland, and Estonia has benefited from their experiences and expertise. Many Estonians that have lived in Canada have also helped to develop Estonia’s foreign service,” Paet added.
Paet stated that Canada holds a special significance for Estonians, as it provided a safe refuge for thousands of their fellow countrymen. “For those who fled the Soviet occupation and escaped to Canada, the country provided safety as well as opportunities to study, work, and become a part of a society that values multiculturalism. Currently one of the biggest Estonian communities in the world is found in Canada,” added Paet.
Foreign Minister Paet said that thanks to the Canadian-Estonian community, Estonia and Canada have always shared good cultural ties. “Through cultural and individual contacts we have the opportunity to introduce Estonia better in Canada. For example, an Estonian documentary short film festival was just recently held in Toronto,” he added. Almost every year since 1990 has seen the occurrence of Estonia-Canada cultural days, during which it is possible to hear Estonian music, watch Estonian films, and become acquainted with Estonian culture and art.
Estonians in Canada are represented by the Estonian Central Council in Canada, which was established in 1951 and has the goal of developing and preserving cultural, economic and other ties between Estonians in Canada and the Estonian state. In addition, many cities also have Estonian societies that work to organise events and help people who are living in Estonia. Large numbers of Estonians are mainly concentrated in three areas of Canada: Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.

SPORTS NEWS

Novosjolov Takes World Epee Title

9 November (BNS) - Nikolai Novosjolov of Estonia won the men's epee world title at the world fencing championships in Paris on Monday, beating France's Gauthier Grumier, holder of the 2006 world team title, 15-8 in the final. Jean-Michel Lucenay of France took the bronze medal.
Novosjolov won his semifinal 15-11 against Gabor Boczko of Hungary, while Lucenay lost 15-12 to Grumier in the semifinals. "I couldn’t do anything against Novosjolov. I was destroyed (by him)," Grumier ws quoted by the Associated Press as saying. "I tried to vary my game but nothing much worked. I was at my best and at 200% during the tournament. He just crushed everybody."
In the opening round of the main tournament Novosjolov beat Fabian Kauter of Switzerland 15-11 and advanced to the eighth-final by upsetting the world's top ranked Jorg Fiedler of Germany 13-12 in overtime. He then defeated Spain's Marius Alvarado 15-12 and in quarterfinals came out victorious against Italy's Enrico Garozzo, juniors world champion from two years ago, 15-14.
For Novosjolov, this is the second medal from World Championships after his 2001 silver as part of the Estonian team.