Estonian Review 12-18 November 2010

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY” IN TALLINN
FOREIGN NEWS
DEFENCE NEWS
ECONOMIC NEWS
CULTURAL NEWS

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “WOMEN, PEACE AND SECURITY” IN TALLINN

Women Experience Disproportionately Greater Suffering in Conflict Situations

12 November - At the international conference “Women, Peace and Security – the Afghan View” in Tallinn today, Foreign Minister Paet emphasised that significantly improving the rights and security of women is a priority of Estonia’s foreign policy, development co-operation, and human rights activities. Speakers at the conference included Finnish Minister Elisabeth Rehn, European Commission Development Commissioner Andris Piebalgs, Deputy Minister for Women’s Affairs of Afghanistan Palwasha Kakar, and Assistant Deputy Secretary General of NATO Stephanie Babst.
Foreign Minister Paet stated that that the key to resolving conflicts and crises and ensuring security is the protection of civilians, especially women. “As a member of the UN, NATO, EU, and OSCE, Estonia participates actively in ensuring international peace and security. We contribute to international military and civil missions in countries where resolving conflicts and establishing peace are directly tied to the implementation of UN resolution 1325, and we also take the gender aspect into consideration in planning our own activities,” the foreign minister said.
As an example, Paet mentioned Estonia’s development co-operation activities helping Afghan women in the health care and education sectors. “We have supported the provincial hospital in Helmand Province by supplying essential medical equipment, trained midwives, and shared first aid knowledge with women in the province,” Foreign Minister Paet asserted, emphasising that an Estonian health care expert is still working to co-ordinate health care activities in the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Lashkar Gah. “Afghan women play a very important role in shaping the future of the nation and in the gradual transition of security responsibilities to the Afghan forces. The rights of women and girls must not be forgotten during this process,” Paet stated.
Foreign Minister Paet said that the situation of women in Afghanistan has improved over the past few years in comparison with what it was. “Afghan women have the right to vote and be candidates in parliamentary elections, and more girls have the opportunity to go to school and get an education,” Foreign Minister Paet said as an example. “Afghan women and women’s organisations are also more and more active when it comes to matters of peace and security,” he added.
“In a conflict, one party can always claim victory, but building peace must involve everybody: the weak and the powerful, the victors and the vanquished, men and women, young and old. Particularly, there is a need to ensure the engagement of women in all stages of a peace process,” said Foreign Minister Paet, quoting Martti Ahtisaari.
The international conference “Women, Peace and Security – the Afghan View”, organised in co-operation by the Foreign Ministry and the Estonian Atlantic Treaty Association (EATA) is focused on how to better take into consideration the role and contribution of women in international conflict resolution and in building up a post-conflict society. The conference has brought together the experiences of the EU, NATO, and the UN.

FOREIGN NEWS

Paet, Bildt Discuss Good Estonia-Sweden Co-operation

15 November - At their meeting in Stockholm today, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt confirmed both Estonia and Sweden’s participation in the European Union Nordic Battle Group in the first half of 2011. Estonia will participate in the battle group with 50 soldiers.
Paet stated that comprehensive and close co-operation with Sweden is important to Estonia. “Sweden and Estonia are participating together in the stabilisation of Afghanistan, and we share the viewpoint that international contributions must continue until Afghanistan no longer poses a threat to the rest of the world,” he added.
The foreign ministers also spoke about European Union-Russia relations. Paet and Bildt confirmed their support for Russia joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO). “We still must resolve the border-crossing queue problem,” Paet added. In talking about the upcoming Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) summit, Paet and Bildt both felt that the OSCE must seriously address Georgia’s territorial integrity and matters related to the Transnistria and Nagorno-Karabakh frozen conflict. The ministers also expressed Estonia and Sweden’s support for the continuation of European Union enlargement negotiations with Turkey and Iceland and the conclusion of negotiations with Croatia.
Estonia and Sweden are also preparing a visa representation agreement, according to which Sweden would start representing Estonia for the issuing of visas in the Republic of South Africa and Cuba.
Foreign Minister Paet will also meet today with European Union Affairs Minister Birgitta Ohlsson. During his visit, the minister also plans to meet with the Estonian community in Stockholm.

Opening Embassy in Cairo Has Given Boost To Estonia-Egypt Relations

18 October - During his meeting with Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Ahmed Fathalla, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet emphasised that the opening of the Estonian Embassy in Cairo has given a boost to the intensification of relations between the countries. “Our embassy in Cairo is not working actively. We hope that Egypt will open an embassy in Tallinn soon,” said Paet.
At the meeting, they spent time discussing opportunities to develop Estonia-Egypt economic co-operation. The foreign minister stated that many Estonian entrepreneurs have successfully started doing business in Egypt. “Egypt also continues to be a popular tourist destination,” he said.
Paet and Fathalla expressed satisfaction that political consultations between Estonia and Egypt have become a regular occurrence. “The consultations are very useful for developing bilateral relations, but also for information exchange about the developments happening in Egypt and in the region as a whole,” Paet noted. Foreign Minister Paet said that Egypt is the leading nation of the Islam and Arab worlds and the European Union’s most important partner in Northern Africa and the Mediterranean Union. Egypt is also an important contributor to the Middle East peace process. “We welcome Egypt’s contribution to restoring direct Israel-Palestine negotiations in September 2010. We consistently support the two nations achieving a solution through the Middle East peace process. It is also essential that the parties to the conflict continue their negotiations,” Paet emphasised.
Another topic addressed at the meeting was Estonia-Egypt co-operation in international organisations, primarily in UN structures. “We told Egypt about our candidacy for the UN Human Right Council from 2012-2015 and for a non-permanent position in the UN Security Council from 2020-2021,” said Paet.

Czech Republic is Important Contributor to Estonia’s Security

17 November - At his meeting in Tallinn with Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg today, on the anniversary of the Velvet Revolution, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet expressed hope that the Czech Republic would soon become a full member of the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence. “The more NATO members we have participating in the work of the centre, the more qualified the centre will be to offer high-level cyber-related advice to NATO member states,” said Paet. “NATO’s cyber security capabilities must increase and be flexible enough to react to cyber developments in the world,” he added.
The Estonian foreign minister recognised the Czech Republic’s participation in protecting Estonia’s airspace. “The Czech Republic last participated in the Baltic air policing mission last year, and it will do so again in 2012,” he added.
While talking about EU Eastern Partnership, the foreign ministers emphasised the importance of strengthening Eastern Partnership and continuing co-operation in this sector. “Frozen conflicts hinder the development of European Union partner countries. The European Union must support and supplement international efforts to resolve frozen conflicts and take on a greater role than before in these endeavours, which the Eastern Partners expect us to do,” stated Paet. “In co-operation with the Eastern Partners we must focus on programmes that have quick and tangible results,” he added.
Paet recognised the Czech Republic’s desire for closer co-operation with the Baltic states. “Co-operation between the Estonian and Czech foreign ministries has been close—consultations on security policy and European Union policy have taken place,” Paet noted.
The Czech foreign minister also had a meeting with President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, who recalled their countries' common history. Ilves said the Velvet Revolution in 1989 was an important part of the chain of events that freed both countries from alien power and returned Estonia and the Czech Republic to democratic Europe.
Ilves and Schwarzenberg also spoke about regional co-operation between the Visegrad countries and the Baltic states, the investigation of crimes of totalitarian regimes, and a proposal to mark a Day of Remembrance for victims of all totalitarian regimes on 23 August. On that day in 1939 Stalin's Soviet Union and Nazi Germany signed the pact that carved up Eastern Europe between the two countries.

Estonian and Latvian Foreign Ministers Discuss New Electricity Connections

16 November - During his meeting in Tallinn today with new Latvian Foreign Minister Girts Valdis Kristovskis, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet emphasised that in order to ensure the energy security of Estonia and all of Europe there must be a functioning energy market and connections among the member states. “The plan to connect the Baltic energy market is a good example of a regional initiative to resolve these issues in the European Union,” said Paet. “We are interested in creating a truly functioning electricity market in the Baltic states,” he asserted.
While talking about co-operation within the framework of EU Eastern Partnership, Foreign Minister Paet noted that Latvia is welcome to contribute to the Eastern Partnership Training Centre being established in Tallinn, which will focus on training young government officials from Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Belarus and sharing reform experiences. “Focusing on programmes with visible results, like for example border management, the fight against corruption, or supporting small businesses, would give more purposeful support to the reform process in our partner nations,” he added.
On the topic of bilateral cultural relations, Paet noted that Estonia-Latvia cultural and educational contacts have been close throughout the years. “Estonia is interested in Estonian language and culture continuing to be taught in Riga. This opportunity is provided by the Riga Estonian Secondary School, which currently has 160 students,” stated Foreign Minister Paet. “In Valga the Estonian-Latvian Institute is still active—the Latvian language is also taught there,” he added. “We also hope that the Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian translation prize established last year gives momentum to Estonian and Latvian language and cultural exchange,” Paet added.
According to Foreign Minister Paet, Estonia-Latvia co-operation in visa representation and consular work is also going well. “Estonia represents Latvia for the issuing of Schengen visas in Sofia, Bulgaria, and Latvia issues visas for travel to Estonia in Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan,” said Paet.
Estonian-Latvian co-operation was also the principal topic of discussion at the meeting between Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and visiting Latvian Foreign Minister Girts Valdis Kristovskis.
"We are pleased that the co-operation between Estonia and Latvia has reached a new level," Ansip said. "The report on future co-operation suggests quite a few co-operation projects with good prospects. The report contains numerous good proposals whose implementation will help forge closer ties between Estonians and Latvians, on the one hand, and raise the competitiveness of our countries in the world, on the other."
A high-level conference will be held in Riga in December to discuss the implementation of the recommendations given in the report.

Nordic-Baltic Co-operation to Be Taken to Next Level in 2011

12 November - Meeting with his colleagues from the Nordic and Baltic nations in Riga today, Foreign Ministry Secretary General Marten Kokk spoke about the future of the region and how the suggestions made in the Nordic-Baltic co-operation report could help to make co-operation in the region more effective.
The Foreign Ministry secretary general stated that Estonia will be the chairman of the Baltic Council in 2011. “Next year we are ready to work together with the co-ordinator of Nordic-Baltic co-operation, Finland, and we have made our goal the implementation of the ideas set forth in the report, thereby taking Nordic-Baltic co-operation to a new level,” he said.
According to the Foreign Ministry secretary general there are 38 concrete co-operation suggestions made in the Nordic-Baltic report, and at the meeting today it was decided which suggestions would be addressed first and which ones required more analysis. “For example, the Nordic and Baltic countries would like to intensify foreign and security policy dialogue and have greater co-operation in forming common positions. We could also have more active co-operation in the future among the foreign services of the countries in the region. For example, we could create a co-operation network among our diplomatic representations and co-operate in offering consular aid or exchanging diplomats,” said Kokk. “If we could better co-ordinate our foreign policy positions, it would certainly help to make our region more visible and increase our influence in international organisations,” he added.
Nordic-Baltic co-operation, or NB8, is a regional co-operation format that includes Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.

Consulate General in Shanghai to Accept Visa Applications Starting 1 December

12 November (BNS) - The Estonian consulate-general in Shanghai, China, will start accepting visa applications from 1 December, therefore Estonia will terminate its visa representation agreement with Finland.
Estonia opened its consulate in Shanghai on 29 April this tear but it took time to get the representation into full gear. The consulate is prepared to start receiving visa applications as of 1 December.
Finland only represented Estonia for the issuing of visas for a couple of months. A visa representation agreement signed with Finland entered into force on 1 August.
By opening its consulate in Shanghai, Estonia hopes to continue to contribute to the development of contacts with China and other Asian countries and to make Estonia more widely known. The opening of the consulate will also simplify provision of consular services and assistance to Estonians living or travelling in the region.
The costs of opening and functioning of the consulate will be covered jointly with Enterprise Estonia. A representative of Enteprise Estonia works on the same premises with the consulate. The Estonian consul in Shanghai is Andre Lipand.

Estonian MP Chosen as NATO PA Rapporteur on Afghanistan

15 November (BNS) - The NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Defence and Security Committee decided at the annual session in Warsaw to focus on Afghanistan in its next annual report and picked Sven Mikser, chairman of the Estonian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, for the chief rapporteur.
"The Afghanistan stabilisation operation is the largest and most important NATO-led mission," Mikser said through spokespeople for the Estonian Social Democratic Party, of which he is a member.
Mikser believes that despite remarkable developments in the country, Afghanistan will remain in the focus of attention for years to come. "Estonian policies towards Afghanistan have been effective and active, the best example is the work of our military in Helmand province, one of the country's regions with the most complicated security situation," he said. "It is natural and sensible for us to continue helping shape international attitudes towards the future of Afghanistan using for this among other things the opportunities offered by parliamentary diplomacy," he said commenting on his new role at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.
The Defence and Security Committee also approved Mikser's report on preparations for handing over security responsibility to Afghanistan's own security forces.
Mikser has been a member of the Estonian delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly since 2003. He chaired the subcommittee for transatlantic defence and security cooperation in 2004-2008 and was vice president of the assembly and special rapporteur on the alliance's new strategic concept in 2008-2010.

Estonian Ambassador to Luxembourg Presents Credentials

16 November - Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg Mariin Ratnik presented her credentials to Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri.
In the discussion that followed the presentation of credentials, Ambassador Ratnik and Grand Duke Henri discussed Estonia and Luxembourg’s bilateral relations. Ambassador Mariin Ratnik stated that they focused mainly on economic matters during their discussion. “We talked about the current situation in Estonia’s economy and accession to the euro zone,” said Ratnik. The ambassador noted that Grand Duke Henri praised Estonia during their meeting. Grand Duke Henri said that Estonia sets a good example for other nations that would like to join the euro zone, and that our emergence from the economic downturn is remarkable. Energy policy matters and Estonia-Russia economic relations were also addressed during the discussion.
Ambassador Mariin Ratnik was born in 1976 in Tartu. She graduated from the economics department of Tartu University and has furthered her studies at the Estonian School of Diplomacy and in the international relations department at Humboldt University in Berlin. Ratnik has worked for the Estonian foreign service since 2000. She has been an advisor on relations with the European Parliament at the Estonian representation to the European Union, an economic advisor at the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Berlin, a division director in the Foreign Ministry’s European Union department, and the director of EU affairs at the State Chancellery. Ambassador Mariin Ratnik is also the Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to Belgium.

Four New Ambassadors Present Credentials to Estonian President

18 November (BNS) - Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves met on Thursday at his Kadriorg residence with new ambassadors of the United Arab Emirates, Moldova, Switzerland and South Korea, who presented their credentials to the head of state.
Credentials were presented by UAE Ambassador Mohammed Ahmed Al Mahmood, who is based in Berlin; Moldovan Ambassador Victor Guzun, who resides in Tallinn; and the Swiss and South Korean envoys, Maurice Darier and Park Dong-Sun, both of whom are resident in Helsinki, the president's office said.

DEFENCE NEWS

Aaviksoo Discusses Upcoming Lisbon Summit with Danish Colleague

16 November - Defence Minister Jaak Aaviksoo met today with Danish Defence Minister Gitte Lillelund Bech. At the meeting of the defence ministers the standpoints of Estonia and Denmark were harmonised to intensify mutual co-operation. “Both Estonia and Denmark are satisfied with the draft of the new Strategic Concept of NATO, since it confirms that collective defence remains the main task of NATO,” said Aaviksoo.
Issues concerning the Afghanistan operation were also addressed. According to Aaviksoo, Denmark is one of the biggest contributors in Afghanistan and has, in relation its population, suffered the biggest losses.
“In order to end the Afghanistan mission successfully, it is extremely important to have solidarity among all allies, expressed in the principle ‘we start together and we finish together’. Together with Denmark we hope that giving the responsibility of security to Afghans in more peaceful provinces enables the other allies to contribute more in Southern Afghanistan where up to now the main weight has been on the British, American, Danish and Estonian soldiers,” said Defence Minister Aaviksoo.
Aaviksoo also expressed his condolences to Lillelund Bech regarding the death of Danish Sergeant Jørgen Randrup, who was killed in the province of Helmand on Sunday.
After the meeting with Aaviksoo, Lillelund Bech also visited the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence.

Estonian Defence Will Similar to That of Finland, Switzerland

13 November (BNS) - Estonian Defence Minister Jaak Aaviksoo said in the final report of the 23rd Higher State Defence Courses at Roosta that the Estonian public opinion was becoming more and more reminiscent of Finland and Switzerland.
"Growth of the Estonian population's support for the Defence Forces and the Defence League, growth in support for NATO membership and foreign missions, and the desire for resistance in case of a military threat suggest that we can be critically satisfied and compare ourselves with countries such as Finland and Switzerland in that respect,” a media officer reported Aaviksoo as saying.
Aaviksoo said that inculcation of the defence will would not be possible without national self-consciousness and a certain self-confidence. "I would like to believe that not just the state defence aspect has been behind the growth in the defence will but formation of a consciousness of being a citizen and formation of the identity of the state," Aaviksoo said.
“By our practical activity both in terms of foreign policy as well as in military terms we have ensured our security position, which is stronger than ever before and there is no danger in sight in the foreseeable future that could influence it," the defence minister said.
The defence minister said that we should not underestimate the role soldiers on international missions were carrying out and to regard this as barely meeting our obligation as allies. "The reputation of Estonian soldiers in the eyes of our allies is very high, our soldiers are keen and highly valued on the battlefield. Such feedback gives us reason to believe that Estonia is seen as having defence will and capability and the Estonian state as strong," Aaviksoo said.
During the six-day 23rd Higher State Defense Courses the attendees received a thorough overview of Estonia's security and defence policy, foreign policy, the organisation of state defence and its legislative environment, international defence co-operation, defence investments and domestic security, as well as connection of state defence with different spheres of life.

Soldiers Commemorate Fallen Comrades in Afghanistan

15 November (BNS) - Estonian soldiers serving in Afghanistan commemorated together with allies the war dead in Armistice Day ceremonies; they met with Prince William before the service.
Members of the Estonian contingent in Afghanistan paid tribute to the fallen at the Armistice Day service at Camp Bastion in the southern province of Helmand and met with high representatives of the UK, the General Staff said.
The ceremony was attended by more than 1 500 allied troops. During it a memorial to British soldiers killed during the Afghanistan operation was unveiled.
Before the ceremony Estonian soldiers met with Prince William and British Defence Secretary Liam Fox. The prince showed interest in the Estonians' area of responsibility and relations with local people and thanked them for their contribution to security in Afghanistan.
"Although marking Remembrance Day started with the end of World War I, it is not only the fallen who are remembered on that day but also those who returned from wars alive, regardless of which side they fought on," said the chief of the Estonian contingent, Lt. Col. Riho Ühtegi. "This is a tradition that is little known in Estonia. Today it definitely received added weight from falling on the same day as Father's Day. Many of us have children back at home who are longingly waiting for their fathers to return home.”
"We know how to honour and remember the fallen but tend to forget those who returned alive. In today's speeches we, Estonians, were remembered along with soldiers from other countries. This gave food for thought whether the Estonian society too shouldn't mark a day in honour of our veterans," Ühtegi said.
Armistice Day is marked on 11 November as the armistice between the allies of World War I and Germany took effect at 11 o'clock in the morning on that date in 1918.
In Estonia the day is marked at the initiative of the British embassy in the military cemetery every year. Estonia also marks the Memorial Day for those who fought in the War of Independence on the day a ceasefire with Russia came into effect in 1920, 3 January.

ECONOMIC NEWS

Estonia Ran 98 Mln EUR Account Surplus in September

15 November (BNS) - The current account of Estonia had a surplus of 1.534 billion kroons (EUR 98 mln) in September 2010, according to a flash estimate by the Bank of Estonia.
The bulk of the surplus again came from the services account, which had a surplus of 1.897 billion kroons. Exports of services came to 4.627 billion kroons and imports to 2.730 billion kroons in September.
Also the trade balance had a small surplus in September, with exports amounting to 13.203 billion and imports to 13.070 billion kroons. In the income account net money flow was negative by 554 million kroons.
Incoming direct investments totalled 1.437 billion kroons and outgoing direct investments 290 million kroons, corresponding to a net inflow of 1.147 billion kroons. In portfolio investments a net outflow of 131 million kroons took place. In July Estonia's current account had a surplus of 1.6 billion kroons and in August of a little over one billion kroons.
Based on the monthly figures the surplus in the third quarter should have amounted to over four billion kroons.

Cruise Passengers Leave Over 14 Mln EUR in Estonia This Season

17 November (BNS) - A total of 391 000 cruise passengers passed through Tallinna Sadam (Port of Tallinn) this year, leaving over EUR 14 million kroons in Tallinn while making purchases in the city. Revenue from port fees, pilot and Maritime Administration charges, and fees paid to ship agencies, travel bureaus, bus companies and tourist attractions visited should be added to this sum.
According to the Port of Tallinn the sum total of an average purchase was 567 kroons (EUR 36.2), nearly twice as much as last year. The tourists mainly bought consumer goods and souvenirs.
The number of cruise passengers was 6.4% lower this year than in 2009, the port said. This year 45 cruise companies and 67 different cruise ships called at the Port of Tallinn, and there were a total 282 calls, of these 280 to the Tallinn City Port and two to Saaremaa Port.
There were passengers from 190 different countries among the cruise tourists. Most of the cruise passengers were from the United States, Great Britain, Germany and Spain. This season contrary to last year also passengers from Russia called at the Port of Tallinn on board cruise ships; their share among the cruise passengers was 4%.
For next year calls of 289 ships are expected at the Port of Tallinn.

Cargo Carriage of Estonian Ports Up By Quarter in October

18 November (BNS) - According to Statistics Estonia the country's ports handled 3.9 million kroons of goods in October, 25.5% more than in October 2009. Compared with September cargo handling grew by 2%.
In October 2.9 million tons of goods were loaded and 961 300 tons were unloaded, respectively 25.4 and 26% more than in October 2009 and respectively 5% more and 5.6% less than this September.
In the first ten months of this year 37.75 million tons of goods were loaded and unloaded at Estonian ports, nearly 20% more than in the same period in 2009.

Finnish President Gives Quality Innovation Prizes to Estonian Companies

11 November (BNS) - At an international Quality Day gala Thursday evening attended by Finnish President Tarja Halonen, the Estonian Tervisliku Piima Biotehnoloogiate Arenduskeskus OU (Healthy Milk Biotechnologies Development Centre, TPBA) and Feanor OÜ won Quality Innovation prizes, while AS Vähiuuringute Tehnoloogia Arenduskeskus (Cancer Studies Technology Development Cetner, VUTAK) earned special recognition.
A press spokesman reported Estonian Economic Affairs and Communications Minister Juhan Parts as saying that the companies' achievement was praiseworthy in several senses. "First, it provides proof that co-operation between enterprises and science bears fruit. At the same time you are an example for others because you achieved recognition in an international competition and international status of Estonian enterprise must become a daily affair," he said.
TPBA won the prize for a novel clinically tested TENSIA microbe stem that brings down blood pressure and Feanor for milling cutters that can achieve a considerable economy of time and resources, the ministry said. VUTAK earned special recognition for its oncogenetic testing and advisory service aimed at early assessing and/or diagnosis of cancer risk.
"If the president of the Republic of Finland hands over such high awards to two Estonian biotechnology development centres it is of very high importance,” VUTAK CEO Riin Ehin said, adding that for recipients of the prizes this could mean a significant breakthrough to the Nordic countries' market. "It is clear that the programme of technology development centres has been successful in Estonia."
The quality innovation prizes are issued by Estonian and Finnish quality associations. The prizes have been given out in Finland since 2007. This year it was possible for Estonian organisations to apply for it on an equal basis with Finnish companies.

CULTURAL NEWS

Antti Jokinen Appointed Film Director of Oksanen’s “Purge”

13 November (BNS) - Antti Jokinen has been appointed director of a film based on “Purge”, the successful novel by Sofi Oksanen, a Finnish writer with Estonian roots, the Finnish YLE broadcasting company reported. Jokinen is better known for international pop and rock videos, but next year his first long film, “Resident”, will be screened.
The movie rights of the book belong to Finland's Solar Film, and the script will be written by Marko Leino. According to the producer, Markus Selin, the film should be completed by 2012.
“Purge”, Oksanen's third novel, speaks about Estonia's recent past through the tragic experiences of the women of one family. “Purge” was first born as a play which had its first night at the Finnish National Theater with great success. In 2008 the novel won Finland's most prestigious Finlandia literary prize and in 2010 the coveted Runeberg prize.
Last spring “Purge” was also published in Estonia.
This year Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves decorated Oksanen with a Class Four Order of the Terra Mariana Cross.
Oksanen was born in 1977 in Jyväskylä to an Estonian mother and Finnish father.