Estonian Review 28 May - 3 April 2010

FOREIGN NEWS
DOMESTIC NEWS
DEFENCE NEWS
ECONOMIC NEWS
CULTURAL NEWS

FOREIGN NEWS

Becoming OECD Member is Recognition of Estonia’s Development

2 June - During his meeting with Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Angel Gurría in Tallinn today, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet emphasised that Estonia considers becoming a member of the OECD to be very important and would like to actively participate in the work of the organisation.
Foreign Minister Paet stated that the OECD is a recognised economic analysis centre and the member states have the opportunity to take part in the high-level analyses and expert recommendations. “Becoming an OECD member is recognition of Estonia’s development,” said Paet.
The OECD’s multi-faceted activities cover the entire public sector and many economic branches, from agriculture to the social and educational sector. “The OECD is a place for many experts to exchange valuable information. As an OECD member, Estonia can participate in discussions with equal standing and share its experiences, as well as learn more than ever before from the experiences of other countries,” said Paet.
Foreign Minister Paet said that Estonia is starting to form its representation at the OECD. “The Foreign Ministry will send the first ever diplomat working solely with OECD matters to Paris this summer, and gradually expert diplomats from other ministries will follow,” said Paet. “The function of ambassador to the OECD will be fulfilled by the Estonian ambassador in Paris and UNESCO,” the foreign minister added.
Tomorrow, 3 June, Estonia’s accession treaty with the OECD will be signed. Estonia will become a full member of the organisation at the end of 2010, after the accession treaty has been ratified in Riigikogu. Slovenia and Israel will be joining the OECD along with Estonia. After their accession the OECD will be made up of 34 members.
The OECD’s goal is to support the expansion of general world economic development and world trade. The primary means for achieving these goals is close co-operation among member states, as well as utilising dialogue, consensus, and lessons learned from the better experiences of others.

EU-Russia Summit Important Opportunity to Discuss State of Relations

1 June - Foreign Minister Paet stated that the summit that took place on 31 May and 1 June in Rostov was an important opportunity to discuss the state of the European Union’s relations with Russia. At the summit in Rostov, topics discussed included the economic and financial crisis, climate change, energy relations, EU-Russia relations in general, and international and regional matters. A joint declaration in which the priorities for the EU-Russia Modernisation Partnership were laid out was approved.
Foreign Minister Paet said that the Modernisation Partnership initiative is an important opportunity for the EU to have a hand in Russia’s development. “The EU feels it is important to advance Russia’s economic growth, including domestic reform, primarily to support the principles of rule of law and a free market economy,” Paet stated. “In addition to supporting the sustainable develop of Russia’s economy, Estonia also considers it important to share reform experiences, introduce e-services, and co-operate on the level of local governments,” added the Estonian minister.
Developments in the EU-Russia visa dialogue were also discussed. Step by step, movement is being made towards visa freedom in the longer perspective. The process will continue with resolving practical issues. “Progress in the visa dialogue is strongly tied to relations between the EU and Russia in general,” Paet noted. “Russia must completely fulfil the EU-Russia visa facilitation and readmission agreement that came into effect in 2007 and the usual technical requirements,” said Paet.
The foreign minister also emphasised that when it comes to the visa dialogue, the European Union should adhere to a regionally balanced approach. “Eastern Partnership countries, which have EU integration prospects, should not have inferior opportunities to Russia in the visa liberalisation process,” emphasised the Estonian foreign minister.
Also discussed was co-operation between the EU and Russia under the circumstances of the global economic crisis and Russia joining the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Paet mentioned that Estonia feels it is still important for Russia to join the WTO quickly and for hindrances to trade on the Russian side to be abolished.
Other topics addressed at the summit were the situation in the EU and Russia’s common neighbourhood, Iran’s nuclear programme, and the Middle East peace process. The EU emphasised that Russia must fulfil the responsibilities accepted after the 2008 Russia-Georgia war.
The EU-Russia summit that took place in Rostov on 31 May and 1 June was hosted by President of the Russian Federation Dmitri Medvedev and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The European Union was represented by President of the European Council Herman von Rompuy and President of the EU Commission Jose Manuel Barroso. High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton and Trade Comissioner Karel de Gucht also participated.

Paet Met with Minister of State for External Affairs of India

29 May - At his meeting with Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet spoke about the need to conclude an agreement for the protection of investments and the avoidance of double taxation between the two countries. Another topic of discussion was international co-operation in the fight against terrorism originating in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Paet and Kaur discussed opportunities for intensifying co-operation between the economies and universities of Estonia and India. “In order to advance economic co-operation, we are also preparing to conclude an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation and the protection of investments with India,” added the foreign minister.
According to Foreign Minister Paet, IT-related co-operation between Estonia and India is going very well. “In the first half of June a delegation of Indian IT experts will come to Tallinn to become acquainted with Estonia’s experiences in the IT field,” the foreign minister stated.
Indian Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur stated that India is face-to-face with the threat of terrorism every day, and noted that international co-operation in the fight against terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan is very important. Paet told his Indian colleague about Estonia’s activities for strengthening the security situation in Afghanistan.
Estonia expressed its support for India’s desire to become a permanent member of the UN Security Council after the Council’s reform.
While talking about the future of Estonia-India relations, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet noted that Estonia would like to assign honorary consuls in Calcutta and Chennai in the near future. Currently Estonia has honorary consuls in India in Delhi and Mumbai.

Estonia Values Participation in UNESCO World Heritage Committee

30 May - At his meeting with Director General of UNESCO Irina Bokova, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet noted that Estonia feels its participation in the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is very important. “Estonia’s priorities in UNESCO are tied to valuing and protecting the world’s physical and spiritual heritage,” stated Foreign Minister Paet.
The primary responsibility of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is to ensure the preservation of the world’s cultural and natural heritage. Since 2009 Estonia is participating in the work of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for a four-year period. “This gives Estonia a good opportunity to further strengthen its activities in protecting spiritual cultural heritage,” stated Paet. Of the 186 nations that have joined the World Heritage Convention, only 21, including Estonia, belong to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee. This summer a session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee will take place in Brazil, where Estonia will be participating as a member of the committee for the first time.
Estonia has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997 for Tallinn’s Old Town and since 2005 for the Struve geodetic arc, which was proposed by ten countries in co-operation. In July of 2009 the events of the Baltic Way were added to the UNESCO Memory of the World programme. The Seto singing tradition has been added to the Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
UNESCO Director General Bokova stated that the work of Estonian experts in various UNESCO activities is highly regarded. “Contributing experts to the work of UNESCO gives Estonia a chance to help developing nations with its expertise and also gain new experiences,” stated Foreign Minister Paet. In the first half of 2010 Estonia is the chairman of the group of Central and East European and Central Asian nations and co-ordinates communication with UNESCO organs and among the nations within the group.
Foreign Minister Paet said that Estonia would like to be a candidate for the UNESCO International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere Programme for 2011.

Full EU Membership is Only Conceivable Future for Western Balkans

2 June - Foreign Ministry Secretary General Marten Kokk participated in the high-level meeting of the European Union and Western Balkan states that took place in Sarajevo, where the future of the Western Balkan nations and their accession prospects with the European Union were discussed.
The Foreign Ministry secretary general emphasised that the meeting, which was attended by all the countries that work actively in the region, was a good example of practical co-operation between the European Union and the Balkan nations. “We hope that similar co-operation will continue and will develop further on all levels and in various fields,” Kokk noted. One good example of practical co-operation is the giving of visa freedom road maps to the Western Balkan nations. “It is important to move forward quickly with matters such as visa freedom,” asserted Kokk.
Marten Kokk said that Estonia supports a concrete European Union perspective for Western Balkan nations, as it offers the region an opportunity for stability and socio-economic development. “The European Union must continue to give its attention to the Western Balkans,” Kokk stressed. “Within the next few years the EU should begin negotiations with all the Western Balkan countries, and within the next decade they could already be European Union members,” he added.
However, the secretary general also emphasised that membership should not just be a goal for the sake of a goal. “What are important are the reforms and the steps that improve quality of life, which result in membership,” Kokk noted. Also, the Western Balkans must address their own bilateral issues, especially resolving border disputes, as these are potential obstacles to EU accession. “The integration of the Western Balkan nations must stem from the interest and motivation of their own leaders and citizens,” said Kokk. “Estonia and the entire European Union can use their experiences to support reforms that strengthen rule of law and socio-economic development in the region, as a result of which the Western Balkans states will be able to join the EU,” he added.
The implementation protocol for the government of Estonia and cabinet of minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s agreement between the European Community and Bosnia and Herzegovina on the readmission of persons residing without authorisation was also signed at the meeting.

Visa-Free Travel to Brazil for Estonian Citizens Will Soon be Reality

30 May - At his meeting with Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorimi in Rio de Janeiro, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet discussed matters related to visa freedom between the European Union and Brazil, as well as Estonia-Brazil relations and co-operation opportunities. Foreign Minister Paet expressed hope that the European Union-Brazil visa freedom agreement would be signed presently at the EU-Brazil summit, and as a result Estonian citizens would be able to visit Brazil without a visa. Paet stated that trying to get visa-free travel to Brazil for Estonian citizens has taken quite a bit of time due to Estonia’s accession to the Schengen zone. “For Estonia, this is the final chapter of reciprocal visa discussions. This means that after the agreement comes into effect, Estonia has achieved visa freedom with all the nations that have reciprocal visa freedom with all the other European Union nations,” said Paet.
While talking about Estonia-Brazil economic relations, Foreign Minister Paet said that there is room for growth in business ties, through Brazil is already Estonia’s most important trade partner among Latin American countries. “Estonian entrepreneurs are interested in closer contacts with their Brazilian colleagues in the oil shale energy, information and communication technology, and tourism sectors. Brazil has also expressed interest in co-operation between ports and in Estonian building materials,” added Foreign Minister Paet.
Paet stated that Estonia is also interested in concluding agreements for the avoidance of double taxation and the protection of investments with Brazil. The investments of Estonian entrepreneurs in Brazil total about 12.6 million kroons (805 205 EUR).
Estonia and Brazil are co-operating to develop the public sector and IT solutions in Haiti. “The Haitian government is working to restore the country and the international community, including Estonia and Brazil, is supporting Haiti in building up a contemporary society,” Paet said. Foreign Minister Paet noted that the Brazilian foreign minister will be able to become thoroughly acquainted with Estonia’s IT solutions and discuss co-operation opportunities during his visit to Estonia in June. Brazil has also made a proposal to Estonia to co-operate in sharing IT-related experiences with some African countries.
On the topic of EU-Brazil relations, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that Brazil is one of the EU’s most important partners in Latin America in regards to both political relations and economic co-operation. At a meeting with representatives of the crude oil company Petrobras, energy-related co-operation opportunities with Petrobras in Brazil and internationally were discussed. Estonia is looking for co-operation partners to implement its technology and co-operate in establishing the use of oil shale deposits in other nations. Brazil is the only other nation in the world after Estonia and China that produces shale oil.
Estonia has more experience in mining and processing oil shale than any other country in the world. More than 5% of the world’s oil shale reserves are found in Brazil. The Brazilian firm Petrobras is the fifth-largest crude oil company in the world and it also works in the area of oil shale production.

EU IT Agency Co-Rapporteur Visits Estonia

1 June (BNS) - Alexander Alvaro, a rapporteur of the European Parliament on the European Union's IT agency, will Thursday arrive for a two-day visit to Estonia in order to familiarise himself with the Estonian bid to become the host country of the agency.
Alvaro, elected to the European Parliament from Germany, will meet with Interior Minister Marko Pomerants, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Keit Pentus, and members of the parliamentary European Affairs Committee, and will visit the NATO Cyber Defence Centre and the Estonian ICT Demo Centre.
Alvaro is coming to Estonia at the invitation of MEP Kristiina Ojuland, spokespeople for the Reform Party said.
In April the Interior Ministry sent to member countries of the European Union the official Estonian bid for becoming the host country of the IT agency of the EU.
According to the bid Estonia is prepared to put up a new main server building and cover the costs of construction. The exact location of the building depends on concrete terms but some state-owned property where the necessary development has already been carried out will certainly be preferred.
If Estonia becomes the host country of the new agency, suitable rented premises for its headquarters for the first year of work and a free office building accommodating at least one hundred employees for the future would be granted. The plans include setting up a respective group to support the activity of the agency. Estonia for its part is prepared to invest nearly 17 million euros in the agency to be established for operational management of large-scale IT systems of the law, liberty and security spheres. Additionally, the state is prepared to invest in opportunities of study for children of the agency staff in accordance with the European School syllabus.
The host country of the agency to be started in 2012 will be decided by the member states. In addition to the Estonian bid, France has also filed its application.

Honorary Consuls to Issue Estonian ID Cards

3 June (BNS) - The Estonian Foreign Ministry wants to give honorary consuls in foreign countries the right to issue ID cards to Estonian citizens, as it is complicated at present for them to get an ID card. Under the law now in force, consular officials and honorary consuls can issue passports and driving licences to Estonian citizens living abroad. But only a consular official is entitled to issue an ID card.
The Foreign Ministry has sent on a round of endorsments a bill of amendments to the Consular Act that will grant the right of issuing ID cards also to honorary consuls.
Estonia has 163 representations throughout the world, of these 128 headed by honorary consuls. Honorary consuls represent Estonia also in countries that have a considerable number of Estonians, such as Australia, and in countries where there is no Estonia representation at all. As a result it is not possible for Estonian citizens in many countries to get an ID card.
As the ID card is a convenient vehicle of communication with the Estonian state via its portal, Estonia will lose a significant part of its voters who are not able to vote at Estonian foreign representations due to large distances and Estonia's low level of representation. This weakens the links of Estonian citizens living abroad, the Foreign Ministry said.

DOMESTIC NEWS

Estonia Has Freedom to Commemorate and Obligation to Remember All Victims of the Holocaust

3 June - Today Foreign Minister Urmas Paet participated in the opening of a memorial stone at the former Tallinn Prison building. The stone is dedicated to the memory of the French Jews deported to Estonia in “convoy number 73” in May of 1944.
In his speech, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that today the oppressive walls of the former prison are joined by a new stone, which is not in the service of captors or killers, but rather of freedom. “This stone, opened in the memory of the people brought from occupied France to occupied Estonia in convoy no. 73, speaks to the fact that we have the freedom to commemorate and the obligation to remember,” emphasised Paet.
Foreign Minister Paet recalled that the stone is being opened in a spot that bore witness to the tragic fate of many. In 1940, when Estonia was occupied by the USSR, many Estonian statesmen as well as social and cultural figures perished here, the fates of many of them still unknown today. “Deportations and murders affected all Estonian citizens. During the Soviet occupation, almost 10% of the Estonian Jewish community, which numbered more than 4 000, was deported,” said Paet.
In recalling the critical turning points of the last century, Foreign Minister Paet stated how in July of 1941 the Soviet occupation was replaced by that of Nazi Germany. The nearly 1 000 Estonian citizens of Jewish faith that had remained in Estonia were labelled enemies and executed according to the plans of the German occupation powers. “Between the years 1942 and 1944 the German occupation forces brought more than 10 000 people from all of its occupied territories to the camps established here, and nearly all of them perished,” said Paet. In May of 1944, convoy no. 73 brought five cars carrying about 300 people from occupied France to occupied Estonia.
“The opening of the memorial stone today is evidence of the fact that after a difficult struggle, justice triumphed, though not everywhere at once and not completely. The important thing is that in the end, eventually it did triumph,” emphasised Paet in the conclusion of his speech.
The opening of the memorial stone was made possible thanks to the “Relatives and Friends of the Deported in Convoy 73”, the Shoah Memorial Fund, and the Tallinn City Government.
Both France and Estonia are members of the Task Force for International Co-operation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance and Research and help to preserve the memory of the Holocaust as well as provide a responsible education for youth.

DEFENCE NEWS

Baltnet Celebrating Tenth Anniversary

3 June (BNS) - Estonian Defence Minister Jaak Aaviksoo will take part in events marking the tenth anniversary of the Baltic countries' joint air space surveillance system in Lithuania.
Baltnet could be compared with the three Baltic countries' vision, the Defence Ministry reported Aaviksoo as saying. "It is a system where we have trusted the unique capacity of looking around in our air space to our allies. In return we have received the ability to see three times as sharply and three times farther than otherwise," Aaviksoo said. Baltnet, which was launched in June 2000, is the joint air space surveillance system with the command centre in Karmelava, Lithuania.
The tactical air space operations command centre receives into its system data of primary and secondary radars from the three Baltic countries, processes and displays them. The centre initiates and co-ordinates the identification of all the aircraft in the area monitored by all the radars and organises exchange of air space information of the Baltic region with third countries. The Karmelava command centre is manned with specialists from all three Baltic countries, including about ten Estonian airmen.
After the accession of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to NATO, Baltnet was integrated with the Natinads air defence system of the alliance, which is part of NATO's collective defence system. As part of the NATO air space defence system BALTNET's duties include also air space control and tactical management of air space security operations in addition to air space surveillance.

ECONOMIC NEWS

Estonian Development Fund Invests in GrabCAD Environment for Engineers

2 June (BNS) - GrabCAD, creator of a web library of 3D models and service environment for engineers, has attracted four million kroons (EUR 0.26 mln) in venture capital investment from the Estonian Development Fund and Astrec Baltic.
The telecommunications technology company Astrec Baltic, owner of the Motors24.ee portal, is investing in GrabCAD on the same terms and conditions as the Development Fund, the fund said.
The founders of the GrabCAD environment are Hardi Meybaum and Indrek Narusk. Meybaum said real orders over one year have proven that it is possible to provide CAD services via the Internet.
Co-operation agreements have already been concluded with Estonian production and engineering companies and talks are underway with Estonian and Scandinavian technical universities who will become the first users of and contributors to the next development phase, he added.
GrabCAD aims to spread across the world the idea of reusing 3D CAD models. Engineers spend much of their working time on designing products or components that already exist somewhere else in the form of drawings. Making such drawings available to others allows engineers to dedicate more time to creating unique products and components. GrabCAD's goal is to become in three years the world's leading web environment for CAD engineers.

British Shirt-Maker Adopts Estonian Robotic Mannequin

2 June (BNS) - OU Massi Miliano, which markets a robotic mannequin under the Fits.me trade name, recently started co-operation with the British shirt-maker Hawes & Curtis, launching at the end of April the world's first virtual fitting room on the firm's website.
Online sales of Hawes & Curtis amount to the equivalent of 100 million kroons (EUR 6.4 mln) annually and the Estonian company's task is to increase this figure, Massi Miliano head Heikki Haldre said. According to Haldre, the first week's statistics show that if usually an average of two out of a hundred visitors of an online shop make a purchase, the number rose to eight after the adoption of Fits.me. "Furthermore, we obtained the measurements of close to 10 000 persons in a week," he said.
Fits.me hopes to launch co-operation with several more companies within a couple of months, Haldre said. "It's too soon to disclose any names," he added.
The Fits.me robotic mannequin was developed by Alvo Aabloo, professor of polymeric materials technology at the Technology Institute of Tartu University, and professor Maarja Kruusmaa at the biorobotics centre of the Tallinn University of Technology. The Estonian Development Fund has invested 10 million kroons in the company. Other investors were business angels and Webmedia. The investors acquired a minority stake in Massi Miliano.

Turnover of Premia Foods Up in Q1

31 May (BNS) - The financial results of Estonia's Premia Foods improved in Q1 this year against the same period last year, with the turnover of the company growing by 5% to 234.4 million (EUR 15 mln) and the loss contracting by nearly one third to 17.9 million kroons. In the opinion of the management, the quarter was successful for Premia Foods.
Despite the markets' continued low in Estonia and Latvia sales significantly grew in Finland and Lithuania, the company says in its Q1 report. The revenue from the sale of ice cream totalled 29.7 million kroons in Q1, down 9.3% on year.
The proceeds from the sale of frozen products amounted to 78.5 million kroons in Q1, contracting by 16.2% on year. The sales proceeds from fish and fish products totalled 121.3 million kroons, up 26.5% on year.
In Q1 the labour expenses of the company contracted by 11%, administration expenses by 25% and selling expenses by 8%.
In the opinion of Premia Foods, the company is still the ice cream market leader in Estonia, controlling a market share of nearly 40% in Q1. In Q1 2009 the market share was nearly 37%.

Children’s Wear Maker Lenne Boosts Profit to 3.6 Mln EUR

1 June (BNS) - The Estonian manufacturer of children's outerwear Lenne boosted its net profit last year more than tenfold to 56.8 million kroons (EUR 3.6 mln) mostly thanks to cost-cutting and a 30% growth in export to Finland. The firm's undistributed profit increased to nearly 184 million kroons of which owners withdrew 300 000 kroons in dividends.
Sales grew 8.8% to 135.4 million kroons. Expenses declined and operating profit more than doubled to 52.3 million kroons, Lenne's financial statements for the 2009 business year reveal.
The sale of products to Finland accounted for most of last year's turnover (96.7 million kroons). Sales on the domestic market gave 25.4 million kroons, 1.5 million kroons was generated in Latvia, and Lithuania contributed 400 000 kroons. Sales in Estonia grew by 13%.
Lenne's business is designing and making children's outerwear – jumpsuits, jackets, pants, headgear, and gloves and mittens. The company makes roughly half a million items annually, most of which is exported. Around one fifth of the output remains on the domestic market and is stocked by more than 40 stores, it appears from Lenne's website.

Tallinn Port’s May Freight Flow Up 31 Percent on Year

2 June (BNS) - Estonia's state-owned Tallinna Sadam (Port of Tallinn) in May handled 3.2 million tons of freight, which marks an increase of 31% compared to the same month last year. In the first five months of 2010, cargo throughput totalled 14.9 million tons, up by 15.7% year on year, the company said.
The number of passengers served during the months of January to May increased 6.4% in annual comparison to a total of 2.75 million.

CULTURAL NEWS

Embassy in Riga Presented Latvia with Book Designed by Raul Meel

28 May - Estonian Ambassador to Latvia Jaak Jõerüüt presented the Latvian National Museum of Art and Latvian National Library with copies of the book designed by Raul Meel entitled “Solomon’s Song of Songs”. The books were accepted by museum director Mara Lace and library director Andris Vilks.
Internationally well-known Estonian artist Raul Meel designed many displays for an exhibit that opened in the fine arts library of Ghent University in Belgium on 20 April, including virtual books of Solomon’s Song of Songs in eleven languages: Dutch, French, German, English, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Swedish, Russian, Finnish, and Estonian. Estonian Ambassador Jaak Jõerüüt said that he is working on the final piece in the series, a Latvian-language book. The first one to be printed and bound was the English-language version. “The work is unique in each language, with every page given its own artistic form,” said Jõerüüt.
While presenting the books, Ambassador Jaak Jõerüüt stated that the ancient and globally known original Hebrew text, its various translations, and the contemporary, congenial artistic interpretation produce a result with roots and branches that reach simultaneously into folk cultures and world culture, into fine arts and literature, and into religion and modern-day technology.

Helsinki Embassy Receives “Estonia” Piano

2 June - On the evening of 1 June a formal concert took place in the Estonian Embassy in Helsinki to celebrate the presentation of a baby grand piano made by the “Estonia” piano factory to the Estonian Embassy. The concert included pianists Kai Ratassepp and Mati Mikalai and soprano Pille Lill.
The “Estonia” piano was donated to the embassy by the Helsinki Estonian Academic Club and the Finnish-Estonian Trade Association, which organised collections that received financial contributions from many Estonian and Finnish businesses and individuals. The patron of the collection was maestro Eri Klas, who expressed his joy over this vigorous patronage of culture: “I thank the Estonians and the Finns for their common good deed. Thanks to you, this instrument handmade by Estonian piano makers will fill our embassy with its glorious sounds!”
The director of the “Estonia” piano factory Professor Venno Laul and the chairmen of the Helsinki Estonian Academic Club and the Finnish-Estonian Trade Association Indrek Tammeaid and Risto Tornivaara took the stage before the concert on behalf of all the contributors and thanked the embassy for its good work in building a bridge between the two nations. They also emphasised that the gift is both a recognition of what has been accomplished and motivation and inspiration for future activities.
Estonian Ambassador to Finland Merle Pajula thanked the contributors, partners on the path to developing Estonia-Finland relations, and confirmed that from now on the piano they donated will provide a new sound and spark to the cultural events that take place at the embassy. “I am so pleased that the work of our embassy family has gotten such a response from our friends—this inspires us to continue working hard.”
The white “Estonia” piano will now grace the reception hall of the Helsinki embassy, which was built in 1933, and allow for Estonian music and composers to be introduced to the scores of Estonia’s friends and other guests in Finland more completely than ever before.