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10 December

The Foreign Ministry has decided to support the new Digital Defenders Partnership.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that 10 December is International Human Rights Day and in connection with the occasion, it should be emphasised that freedom of expression in the internet is also a human right. “The protection of internet freedom is also one of Estonia’s priorities in the human rights sector,” Paet noted.

The foreign minister added that Estonia considers the protection and promotion of freedom of expression on the internet to be essential. “The right to express oneself freely must be maintained in cyberspace. Access to the internet all over the world should also be increased,” Paet stressed. Therefore Estonia has decided to make its contribution to support the activities of the newly created Digital Defenders Partnership.

Paet said that Estonia highly values the work of the Internet Freedom Coalition created in 2011. “We would like to organise the annual meeting of the coalition in Tallinn in 2014 and have already begun preparations for it,” stated the foreign minister.

The goal of the Digital Defenders Partnership fund is to protect the free movement of information in cyberspace and offer rapid assistance in keeping up the internet in situations when governments try to cut off connection to the internet. The fund would also like to support the activities of peaceful defenders of human rights working online. The target group of the fund is NGOs in developing countries through whom aid is given and pressure is placed on the states’ governments.

The creation of the fund was announced by the foreign ministries of the Netherlands, USA and United Kingdom at the second annual meeting of the Internet Freedom Coalition held from 6-7 September in Nairobi. The fun is managed by the Dutch development co-operation NGO HIVOS (Humanist Institute for Development Co-operation).

The Internet Freedom Coalition was created in 2011 at an internet freedom conference that took place in The Hague upon the initiative of the Dutch Foreign Ministry. Today the coalition has grown to 18 members. In addition to Estonia, the members are Austria, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, the Maldives, Mexico, Mongolia, the Netherlands, USA, United Kingdom, Sweden, Costa Rica, Finland, and Tunisia.

The Foreign Ministry is supporting the activities of the new Digital Defenders Partnership fund in 2013 with 30 000 euros. The money to support the fund is being allocated from the budget for the Foundation for Democratic Development (DASA).
 

12 December

Today in New York the 120-member Assembly of the International Criminal Court (ICC) chose Estonian representative Tiina Intelmann as president of the Assembly of States Parties of the ICC. For the next three years Estonia will lead the work of the ICC member states and mediate negotiations related to the court’s functioning.

Foreign Minister Paet stated that for the next three years Estonia must ensure political support for the work of the court. “Political support is necessary in order for the court to function efficiently – for example, in fulfilling arrest warrants and in getting more countries to join the Rome Statute so that the court’s jurisdiction would become global,” said the foreign minister.

Paet said that the creation of the court could be considered one of the greatest breakthroughs in international law in the last decades. “The ICC is a means for preventing gross human rights violations, creating a base for sustainable peace, promoting reconciliation in societies affected by conflict, and helping these societies rebuild,” noted the Estonian foreign minister. He added that against the backdrop of the events of the Arab Spring, the need for the administration of international criminal justice and especially for an international criminal court has clearly increased once again. “While historically many temporary international tribunals have been created, for example those that administered justice for the crimes committed in Yugoslavia and Rwanda, now there is a permanent court that functions on the basis of an international agreement,” he noted.

Genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes all fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC. The ICC begins proceedings when domestic courts are not able to or do not wish to put the perpetrators of these crimes on trial. The court may also begin proceedings at the request of the UN Security Council. In accordance with the decision made at the Review Conference of the Rome Statute held last year in Uganda, as of 2017 the court will also be able to prosecute crimes of aggression. The International Criminal Court is based in The Hague. The court’s 18 judges and prosecutors are selected by the member states.
 

19 March (AP-BNS)

A handbook named after the Estonian capital Tallinn, due to be published later this week, applies international law to the world of electronic warfare in an effort to show how hospitals, civilians, and neutral nations can be protected in an information age fight.

"Everyone was seeing the Internet as the 'Wild, Wild, West,'" US Naval War College Professor Michael Schmidt, the manual's editor, said in an interview before its official release. "What they had forgotten is that international law applies to cyber weapons like it applies to any other weapons."

The Tallinn Manual — named for the Estonian capital where it was compiled — was created at the behest of the NATO Co operative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, a NATO think tank. It takes existing rules on battlefield behaviour, such as the 1868 St. Petersburg Declaration or the 1949 Geneva Convention, to the Internet, occasionally in creative or unexpected ways. Marco Roscini, who teaches international law at London's University of Westminster, described the manual as a first-of-its-kind attempt to show that the laws of war — some of which date back to the 19th century — were flexible enough to accommodate the new realities of online conflict.

The 282-page handbook has no official standing, but Roscini predicted that it would be an important reference as military lawyers across the world increasingly grapple with what to do about electronic attacks. "I'm sure it will be quite influential," he said.

The manual's central premise is that war doesn't stop being war just because it happens online. Hacking a dam's controls to release its reservoir into a river valley can have the same effect as breaching it with explosives, its authors argue. Legally speaking, a cyber attack which sparks a fire at a military base is indistinguishable from an attack that uses an incendiary shell.

The experts behind the manual — two dozen officers, academics, and researchers drawn mainly from NATO member states — didn't always agree on how traditional rules applied in the context of a cyber war.

Self-defence was a thorny issue. International law generally allows nations to strike first if they spot enemy soldiers about to pour across the border, but how could that be applied to a world in which attacks can happen at the click of a mouse?

Other aspects of international law seemed obsolete — or at least in need of an upgrade — in the electronic context.

The law also forbids attacks on "civilian objects," but the authors were divided as to whether the word "object" could be interpreted to mean "data." Did that leave a legal loophole for a military attack that erased valuable civilian data, such as a nation's voter registration records?

10 November (BNS)

The Baltic heads of government, Andrus Ansip of Estonia, Valdis Dombrovskis of Latvia, and Andrius Kubilius of Lithuania, decided on Thursday to establish a joint venture for the Rail Baltic project. The headquarters of the joint venture will be located in Latvia.

Dombrovskis said at the joint news conference that the prime ministers also discussed the matter with EU Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas. "Now we know that 85% of the cost of the project will be covered through the European Union," the Latvian prime minister said. "We have made a big step ahead," he added.

Ansip said Poland is very interested in a rail connection between Warsaw and Berlin. "The European Commission has taken Poland's interests into consideration to a great extent; Poland is already involved in this project," he said in answer to reporters' questions. "Rail Baltic II is not conceivable without a Warsaw-Berlin link," Ansip stated.

Another topic that the three prime ministers spoke about was the establishment of a terminal for liquefied natural gas (LNG), but the location for the terminal is still up in the air. The prime ministers decided to accept the European Commission's expertise, meaning that they want the Commission to conduct an analysis on the basis of the individual analyses conducted here and find out what routes of alternative gas supply would be the most friendly for consumers here and offer the highest security of supply, the Estonian prime minister said.

The terminal's location should be decided on the basis of the study by the Commission. Ansip said the study should deal not only with the terminal's eventual location but also examine the possibilities offered by the former Amber project to connect the gas supply networks of the Baltic region with Poland.
 

21 May

At the NATO summit in Chicago, heads of government and state of the NATO members agreed to extend the Baltic air policing mission indefinitely. The decision underlines NATO’s commitment to the Baltic states in fulfilling the principle of collective defence. “The Baltic airspace policing mission is a good example of the co-operative activity of NATO member states. This decision will free up resources that the Baltic states can then contribute to other NATO actions,” said Prime Minister Andrus Ansip.

"Relations between Europe and the United States are strong. The continuing dedication of the United States to be present in Europe is encouraging, and we can be sure that this relationship will remain vital for the United States,” Ansip said.

In 2010 the air policing mission was extended until the end of 2014. But the Baltics have since been pushing for a permanent solution. First established in 2004, the Air Policing programme involves up to four jets at a time with providing countries rotating every four months.

Estonia is of the position that while intensified co-operation between allies is to be welcomed, NATO member states must also increase national defence spending to develop the existing deterrent and defensive capacity to be prepared to take part independently in military situations should the need arise.

Today’s summit also set out the obligation to carry out joint exercises and training programmes to deepen and broaden the international co-operation traditions that have already taken shape in joint operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo.

After participating in the meeting of the defence ministers of the alliance yesterday, the freshly appointed defence minister, Urmas Reinsalu, said the analysis of NATO deterrence capabilities confirmed at the Chicago summit is beneficial for Estonia. "The analysis says clearly that NATO will preserve its current conventional military capabilities, which are necessary for the collective defence of all allied countries,” Reinsalu said. "NATO also recognises it must be capable of quickly relocating its military forces within its boundaries,” he said.
 

2 May

"Both of us, Estonia and Canada, are driven by the same ambition expressed in the motto of the Order of Canada – Desiderantes meliorem patriam. Desiring a better country," said President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the first Estonian head of state to go to Canada for an official state visit, at an official welcoming ceremony in Ottawa. "Geographical distance has never dissuaded us. As NATO allies and supporters of a strong trans-Atlantic bridge, Estonia and Canada are close and responsible partners in the complex world of the 21st century," said President Ilves, addressing Governor General of Canada David Johnston.

"Co-operation in the sphere of education and especially information technology, common experiences on the battlefield in the most dangerous parts of Afghanistan in the NATO-led operation, and support for strong economic and political relations between Canada and the European Union – these are only a few of the important areas that characterise the similarity of our thinking, and more importantly, acting," said the Estonian head of state.

President Ilves also recalled his personal memories of Canada, where he spent a number of summers as a child in Jõekääru Children's Camp in Ontario and later lived for four years in Vancouver, where he taught the Estonian language at Simon Fraser University.

During yesterday’s state dinner hosted by Governor General Johnston, the Estonian head of state thanked Canada for its support for NATO enlargement, as Ottawa was the first to ratify Estonia's accession to the Alliance and to support the Baltic airspace policing mission.

President Ilves, who was welcomed at the residence of the Governor General by members of the local Estonian community, described Canada as a special country for families on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, as Canada and Canadians reached out a helping hand to many Estonians who were escaping from the communist terror. They and their children grew up to become successful Canadians who have still preserved a piece of Estonia. President Ilves also acknowledged the Canadian Estonians who returned to Estonia after 1991 and are now working as successful diplomats, in other fields of public service, culture or business.

The main purpose of the state visit of President Ilves is to strengthen bilateral political and economic relations between Estonia and Canada and to confirm the importance of trans-Atlantic co-operation.

The Estonian Head of State will meet in Ottawa with the Governor General of Canada, David Johnston; leaders of the Canadian Parliament, Noël A. Kinsella, Andrew Scheer and Peter Van Loan; and the Prime Minister Stephen Harper. President Ilves will meet the local Estonian community at the Estonian House in Toronto. On 4 May, the Day of Civil Action, which has acquired an international dimension, the Estonian Head of State and Evelin Ilves will participate in "Let's Do It" 2013 by cleaning up the Jõekääru Youth Camp, which Toomas Hendrik Ilves himself attended as a child.

Evelin Ilves will visit Ottawa Children's Hospital, CHEO, where mentally ill children are also treated, and the participation of parents in their child's hospital routine is considered important. In Toronto, Evelin Ilves will visit the retirement and nursing home, Ehatare, for elderly Estonians.

12 November

Today, 12 November, elections for the UN Human Rights Council took place in New York and Estonia was elected to be a member of the council from 2013-2015. Estonia’s candidacy received support today from 184 out of 193 countries. Foreign Minister Paet stated that this tremendous support indicates that Estonia is appreciated and taken seriously as a player in the international human rights sector.

Foreign Minister Paet asserted that membership in the UN Human Rights Council is an important achievement for Estonia, it is undoubtedly also a great responsibility to be involved in a council that discusses human rights developments, challenges and violations all over the globe and that helps to prevent and react to conflicts and massive human rights violations. “The Human Rights Council has shown that it is capable of reacting quite quickly when serious violations of human rights arise,” added the foreign minister.

Paet stated that promoting and protecting human rights is a priority of Estonia’s domestic and foreign policy. “Estonia presented its candidacy in 2005. The Foreign Ministry has focused its activities in order to achieve this important long-term goal,” added Foreign Minister Paet.

According to Paet, Estonia has increased its contribution and involvement in the UN year by year. “Estonia has joined most of the UN’s major human rights-related conventions and regularly presents reports on the implementation of these conventions. In recent years Estonia has systematically strengthened its reputation as a country that protects and promotes human rights internationally. Estonia’s priorities in the human rights sector have been introduced in many forums, relations have been intensified with similarly-minded countries, and support has been gathered for Estonia’s candidacy to the Human Rights Council,” added Foreign Minister Paet.

Membership in the Human Rights Council is a logical continuation of Estonia’s international human rights activities to date in the UN as well as in other international organisations that Estonia is a member of.

As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Estonia will prioritise the following topics: democracy, supporting fundamental rights and rule of law; protecting and promoting freedom of expression, including the increasingly important topic of internet freedom; the rights of women and children; matters related to the rights of indigenous peoples, and many others.

The UN Human Rights Council is one of three councils in the UN with limited membership, which is made up of 47 elected and rotating member states from among all the regional groups. The council’s job is to protect and promote human rights all over the world.

The Human Rights Council was established with a decision by the UN General Assembly on 15 March 2006 as the successor of the UN Commission on Human Rights. The creation of the Human Rights Council was an important step forward in protecting and promoting human rights all around the globe.

24 September

For the third straight year, Freedom House's recent survey indicates Estonia has the greatest internet freedom in the world. Among the 47 nations surveyed in "Freedom on the Net 2012: Shifting Methods of Internet Control", Estonia placed first. Estonia was followed by the United States and Germany. On a scale from 0 to 100 (with 0 being absolute press freedom), the top three received 10, 12 and 15 points respectively.

Iran, Cuba, and China received the lowest scores in the analysis. Eleven other countries received a ranking of Not Free, including Belarus, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, and Thailand. A total of 20 of the 47 countries examined experienced a negative trajectory in internet freedom since January 2011, with Bahrain, Pakistan, and Ethiopia registering the greatest declines. At the same time, 14 countries registered a positive trajectory, with Tunisia and Burma experiencing the largest improvements following dramatic political openings.

The report was officially released at Google's Washington office. Addressing the Washington gathering via teleconferencing from New York, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said that freedom of expression online is treated as a fundamental liberty. "For us, it is important to ensure access to the Internet everywhere in the country, schools included. This is the first step. From there on, we have focused on transparency and openness, which also provide the foundation of our public e-services," he said.

“In spite of the fact that Estonia experienced a cyber attack five years ago, we do not support regulation or censorship of Internet freedom. Any sort of sense of security, including in the field of cyber security, cannot come at the detriment of primary freedoms, even internet freedom," the president added.

You can read the full report on the Freedom House website.

3 November

At his meeting with head of Amnesty International's New York office Jose Louis Diaz, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that if it is chosen to be a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Estonia will turn a great deal of attention to the rights of women and children, gender equality, and protecting the freedom of expression. “For example, in order to advance the situation of women and children, Estonia is an active participant in the UN Entity for Gender Equality, a member and vice-president of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and a member of the UN Commission on the Status of Women and the UN Population Fund,” he added. 

This is Estonia’s first candidature for the UN Human Rights Council and the elections will take place in 12 November. 

Foreign Minister Paet said that through various UN aid agencies, Estonia supports many development and humanitarian aid projects and prioritises the fight against sexual violence during long-lasting crises. “In 2012 we have supported projects in the Central African Republic, Niger, Chad, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen,” said Paet. “In addition, our rescue board experts are on a year-long mission in a UN refugee camp in Ethiopia.”

Paet also emphasised the importance of defending the principles of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 “Women, peace and security” in the UN’s other resolutions and decisions. “We also greatly appreciate the resolution on internet freedom approved in Geneva this year – internet freedom is a component of freedom of expression,” he added. 

8 March

At a meeting in New York with Executive Director of the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) Michelle Bachelet, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet confirmed Estonia’s contribution  to the protection of women’s right and the fight against violence against women. “We are very pleased that the UN organisation UN Women, which was created in 2010 with the help of the Estonian ambassador to the UN, is off to a successful start,” said Paet.

Paet said that Estonia has actively participated in the work of the executive board of UN Women. “Last year we were a vice president of the board. We are prepared to continue working to help achieve the goals of UN Women,” he said.

While meeting in New York with UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Hawa Bangura, Foreign Minister Paet emphasised that using sexual violence as a tactic in war is completely unacceptable. “A broad-based approach is essential in the fight against violence against women in conflict situations – we must take into account the security, development, and human rights aspects,” stated the foreign minister. “It is very alarming that extreme violators of human rights frequently remain unpunished. But the government has the primary responsibility of  ensuring its citizens’ safety,” Paet noted. He added that reducing impunity is one of the most essential elements in the fight against violence against women. 

According to Foreign Minister Paet, the president of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court, Tiina Intelmann, has repeatedly brought up the issue of sexual violence against women and girls in the context of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide. “The Criminal Court plays a very important role in combating these kinds of crimes. The court’s investigations and the knowledge that no crime will go unpunished could prevent such crimes or hinder their continuation,” stated Paet.

During their meeting, UN Special Representative Bangura spoke about UN activities in fighting violence against women in Afghanistan, Bosnia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Liberia and Darfur, and Sudan. Bangura confirmed that there is no justification – cultural, religious or otherwise – for violence against women or gender-based violence.

For additional information on the UN’s activities to fight against sexual violence in conflict situations and opportunities to help achieve its goals, visit http://www.stoprapenow.org/.

9 April

The Foreign Ministry is supporting the expansion of the Council of Europe’s activities in fighting cybercrime to as many countries as possible.

According to Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, abuse of cyberspace is a global problem and international co-operation is of vital importance for ensuring cyber security. “Currently the only functioning international instrument for preventing cybercrimes is the Council of Europe’s Convention on Cybercrime. The global spread of the Convention on Cybercrime and the implementation of its principles is important to us, which is why we support the activity of the Council of Europe,” said Paet.

Foreign Minister Paet stated that in order to fight against cybercrime we need for the international understanding of the problem to be as unified as possible, and countries need to be ready to fight against cybercrime. “The Council of Europe’s convention allows countries to join that are not members of the organisation, and some countries have already taken advantage of this opportunity. However, this group of countries should become much larger,” he added.

The Foreign Ministry is supporting the Council of Europe’s Project on Cybercrime with 10 000 euros. The project to fight cybercrime was approved by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in 2006. The project has three main purposes: to help countries prepare regulations based on the convention, provide aid to countries in strengthening their legal systems for the fight against cybercrime, and develop the capabilities of those working in law for international communication during both everyday and crisis situations.

Estonia is among the countries that initiated the development of the convention, which came into force in 2004, and its additional protocols. Today the convention has come into force in 32 countries.

22 February

The Republic of Estonia will celebrate it 94th anniversary on Friday, 24 February. The Republic first declared its independence on 24 February 1918. This year the major events celebrating Estonia’s Independence Day will take place in the capital Tallinn and the southern Estonian city of Tartu.

On Thursday, 23 February, wreaths will be laid on the gravesites of Estonian state figures in the Metsakalmistu cemetery in Tallinn and state decorations will be presented by the President of the Republic in the main auditorium of University of Tartu.

On the morning of Friday, 24 February, a formal flag-raising ceremony will take place at 07.24 at the Old Observatory in Tartu and at 07.35 on Toompea Hill in Tallinn, where a speech will be given by Speaker of the Riigikogu Ene Ergma. Wreaths in honour of those who fell in the War of Independence will be placed at the base of the Kalevipoeg memorial statue in Tartu, a church service will take place at Tartu’s St. John’s Church, and the Defence Forces parade will be held on Vabaduse street in Tartu. On the same day, a celebratory concert and the formal reception of President of the Republic Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Mrs Evelin Ilves will take place in the evening in the Vanemuine Theatre and Concert Hall in Tartu.

The formal events will be attended by the President of the Republic, the speaker of the Riigikogu, the prime minister, members of the government and Riigikogu, and representatives of the diplomatic corps.
 

24 January

The Estonian foreign minister is in Indonesia for a visit together with Finnish Minister for Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb and an Estonian and Finnish business delegation.

During their meeting, Estonian Foreign Minister Paet and Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty M. Natalegawa spoke about strengthening economic ties and trade relations between Estonia and Indonesia and reciprocal investments. “We hope that the contacts created during this visit between the businesses of Estonia and Indonesia, a country with nearly 260 million residents, will help to strengthen contacts, and that opportunities will be found to begin activities in each other’s countries,” said Paet. “Indonesian entrepreneurs may be interested in Estonia’s convenient location and its well-developed infrastructure for transporting goods to the Baltic Sea region and to Russia,” he added.

Foreign Minister Paet stated that Indonesia is an attractive travel destination for Estonians and therefore Estonia would be interested in appointing two honorary consuls in the near future – one in Jakarta and one on the island of Bali. “Estonia also plans to appoint a non-resident ambassador to Indonesia this year,” he stated.

During Foreign Minister Paet’s meeting with the foreign minister of Indonesia, they also discussed developments in relations between the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). “ASEAN is the second most-integrated regional organisation in the world after the European Union and is therefore a natural partner of the European Union. Estonia is in favour of trade with as few restrictions as possible between the EU and ASEAN,” said Paet. “Estonia supports the continuation of ASEAN’s integration, so that the ASEAN economic union to be created in 2015 will be an economic region with a unified market and production capabilities,” he added. Paet also recognised the activities of Indonesia as the chairman of ASEAN in 2011.
 

14 July

Early Thursday morning the seven Estonian citizens abducted in Lebanon were freed as a result of co-operation between Estonia, Lebanon, and other partners. The freed citizens have been taken to the French Embassy in Beirut. They are in fairly good health.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that the Foreign Ministry will arrange for the freed Estonian citizens to be brought home as soon as possible. “The main thing now is for our seven fellow countrymen to get home to their families and loved ones as quickly as possible,” Paet added.
 

14 March (ERR)

On Mother Tongue Day the Estonian language is being celebrated not only at home but everywhere Estonian is spoken.

In Riga, students studying Estonian at the University of Latvia will read poetry at the city's monument to Kristjan Jaak Peterson, the Keats contemporary who laid a foundation for Estonian poetry before his death in his early twenties. Mother Tongue Day was chosen to coincide with his birthday. In Riga's Estonian Basic School, the celebration took place last week.

In Helsinki, the day will begin with a visit to Latokartano Basic School, which will be given a gift of books by the Estonian Institute, the Estonian embassy and the Tuglas Society. A traditional seminar will be held in the evening at the Estonian House. It is open to all interested parents and teachers.

Just a hop across the current border in the southeast in Pechory, the day is being marked with performances of Estonian and Seto language songs for the 13th time. The performers this year are from the Estonian National Museum.

The ten Estonian schools in Europe (in the Netherlands, Hamburg, Munich, Copenhagen, London, Dublin, Berlin, Frankfurt, Strasbourg, Cologne) held their main assembly in joint fashion, from 2-4 Marchin Gouda, the Netherlands.

Estonian language teachers at universities where the language is taught have also held various events.

Estonian is spoken as a native language by roughly 1.1 million people, of whom 150 000 reside outside Estonia. There are over 50 centres that teach the language outside of Estonia, and teachers sent from Estonia are employed in Riga, Pechory, Upper Suetuk (an Estonian village in Siberia), and Aleksandrovka in Crimea. Ten universities around the world staff teachers that come from Estonia, while more than 30 universities offer the language at one level or another.

9 April

Today Estonia’s special mission in Brazil, which will initially be located in the rooms of the Portuguese Embassy in Brazil’s capital Brasilia, started working. It is the first Estonian diplomatic representation in South America.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that Brazil’s role in international politics and economics is growing rapidly. “We would like to intensify political relations and economic ties with Brazil. Brazil is Estonia’s most important trade partner in South America,” said Paet. “The opening of a representation will help Estonia work more effectively in this country as well as the entire region,” he added.

The primary assignment of the representation, which is currently being staffed by one person, is make preparations to open an Estonian embassy. Estonian diplomat Urmas Eigla will also perform limited consular duties. The Estonian diplomat can be reached by email at mission.brasilia@mfa.ee.

Estonia also has three honorary consuls in Brazil – in São Paulo, Santos, and Rio de Janeiro.
 

5 February

While talking about developments in the European Union during his meeting with Foreign Minister of Great Britain William Hague in London today, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that a strong and functioning European Union and euro zone are in Estonia’s interests. “At the same time, Estonia understands the importance of reforms, since we need a better, more competitive Europe that is closer to its citizens,” Paet emphasised.

Foreign Minister Paet stated that one essential pillar of a strong European Union is a well-functioning internal market, including a digital internal market. “Together we must make an effort to turn the potential of a single market into a functioning reality that raises the competitiveness of the EU,” said Paet.

During the meeting, Foreign Minister Hague confirmed that Great Britain, like Estonia, would like to develop the European Union’s single internal market. “In addition to a single market, we also feel that economic growth, creating new jobs, facilitating innovation, and concluding trade agreements with rapidly developing third countries is important,” said Paet, listing more examples of Estonia and Great Britain’s common interests in the EU.

When talking about the upcoming European Council, Paet and Hague also noted that they expect that an agreement will be reached regarding the European Union’s next budgetary period. “We hope that an agreement will be reached,” said the Estonian foreign minister.

Paet and Hague discussed the situation in Afghanistan and the need to expand civilian co-operation and development aid geared towards the country. “We have worked well together with Great Britain in Helmand Province for many years, and we would like to continue that co-operation in a new form after the removal of troops. For example, this year there are plans to send an Estonian expert to join Great Britain’s Department for International Development in Kabul,” said Paet. The foreign minister also confirmed that Afghanistan remains a development co-operation priority partner for Estonia and this year we will increase our support for Afghanistan even more.

Paet added that considering Estonia and Great Britain’s close ties in Afghanistan, the countries must also co-ordinate the reduction of their troops in Helmand Province.

In talking about bilateral relations between Estonia and Great Britain, the ministers discussed intensifying co-operation related to cyber security and e-state matters. The foreign minister expressed satisfaction over Great Britain’s decision to join the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence in Tallinn. “When Great Britain and France have joined, all the countries that are deeply involved in the cyber security question in NATO will be represented at the Cyber Defence Centre,” Paet said. The foreign minister also noted that Estonia would like to work more closely with Great Britain in strengthening the EU’s cyber security.

Paet stated that co-operation between Estonia and Great Britain in the realm of e-state activities  also holds great potential. “Estonia has a lot in common with Great Britain in terms of its approach to developing an information society. We think it would be useful to exchange experts, hold training sessions, and conduct joint pilot projects in, for example, the areas of electronic identity and e-health,” he stated. Paet added that the Estonian Foreign Ministry is interested in the activities of British diplomats in the digital diplomacy realm.

At their meeting, the foreign ministers also discussed the situation in Mali. “It is essential to successfully ward off the rebels and restore the political process in the country. We would like for the European Union’s military training mission to head to Mali as soon as possible,” said Paet. The foreign minister added that Estonia recognises Great Britain, France, and other European Union member states as well as countries in Western Africa that have made a contribution and taken decisive action in this critical situation.

The foreign ministers of Estonia and Great Britain also discussed the situation in Syria and matters related to the Middle East peace process.

28 September

At a meeting focusing on issues related to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in New York today, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that regardless of the ICC’s position growing stronger over the past few years, the court still lacks sufficient political support. “The need for high-level political support on the ministerial level is most evident in those cases when a country does not co-operate with the court,” Paet noted. “Like, for example, the case in Libya, where ICC workers were detained by that state,” he added.

Paet confirmed that Estonia is a firm supporter of the work of the ICC. “I also brought up the topic of stronger political support for the ICC at the recent meeting of the Nordic and Baltic foreign ministers,” said Paet. “In addition, Estonian Ambassador Tiina Intelmann has been named the president of the ICC Assembly of States Parties for the next three years.”

Foreign Minister Paet also mentioned the importance of aiding the victims of crimes against humanity. “Two weeks ago we organised a high-level ICC conference in Tallinn in co-operation with the Finnish foreign minister and the president of the ICC Assembly of States Parties; the conference focused on helping victims and compensating them for damages done,” Paet stated. “Similar shows of political support for the work of the court are very important, which is why we appreciate it when these topics are addressed on a ministerial level.” Paet did add, however, that various initiatives should be co-ordinated with the president of the Assembly of States Parties.

Estonia has been a supporter of the ICC since its inception. On 12 December 2011 the ICC Assembly of States Parties in New York elected Estonian representative Tiina Intelmann as the president of the assembly. For the next three years Tiina Intelmann will lead the work of the ICC member states as a special representative of the ICC and mediate negotiations related to the court’s functioning.

Genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes all fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC. The ICC begins proceedings when domestic courts are not able to or do not wish to put the perpetrators of these crimes on trial. The court may also begin proceedings at the request of the UN Security Council. In accordance with the decision made at the Review Conference of the Rome Statute held last year in Uganda, as of 2017 the court will also be able to prosecute crimes of aggression. The International Criminal Court is based in The Hague. Today 121 countries have joined the Rome Statute that is the basis for the ICC, including all of South America, most of Europe, and almost half of Africa.

9 July

Today in Ulan Bator in Mongolia, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the launch of the Leaders Engaged in New Democracies (LEND) project that will provide advice to emerging democracies and their leaders. In announcing the start of the new project, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that Estonia is very pleased to support the modernisation and democratisation of transitioning countries together with the United States and to share its own reform and e-state experiences. “LEND allows us to share the experiences of states that successfully went through the democratisation process with states that are currently going through the process,” said Paet. “LEND is a very timely and innovative initiative, a partnership between states and experts to support democracy. And democracy, as Abraham Lincoln said, is a government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

US Secretary of State Clinton expressed her satisfaction that the USA is announcing this new project to support and advise emerging democracies together with Estonia, which has itself carried out an extensive democratisation process and is now helping others.

“The LEND project is all the more important as more people around the world are prioritising the freedoms and rights that rightfully belong to them,” Paet emphasised. “The best way to govern a state is openly and in adherence to rule of law principles, and by increasing the peoples’ involvement in governance,” the Estonian foreign minister said. “The Arab Spring demonstrated the importance of this. We have also been witnesses to the major role information and communications technology played in all this,” he added.

Paet stated that Estonia adheres to the principles of open and transparent governance and people have easy access to high-quality services. “Various e-services have improved people’s quality of life and helped to create a stable and sustainable society,” Paet noted. “Through LEND we can share these experiences with new democracies – this is a resource for democratic reforms that will allow heads of state to make faster decisions based on trustworthy expertise,” he added.

The Estonian foreign minister stated that democratic countries are the most responsible and contribute the most to global security. “Estonia and the USA value democratic principles, rule of law, and respecting fundamental rights and freedoms,” Paet said. “It is essential that these values be respected all over the world. LEND is one measure to help achieve this, and through this co-operation Estonia, the USA, and other developed democracies can become acquainted with the experiences of emerging democracies and transitioning countries.”

The goal of LEND is to guarantee quality expert knowledge and advising for the leaders of emerging democracies by countries that have their own reform experience. The idea for the project came from the US Department of State, which proposed that Estonia could be the co-chairman of the project along with the USA.

Additional information on LEND:
http://www.state.gov/s/sacsed/communitydemocracies/c51361.htm

28 March

At his meeting in Washington yesterday with Secretary of State of the United States Hillary Clinton, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet expressed satisfaction that in addition to Estonia and the USA’s shared understanding regarding ensuring European security and co-operation in Afghanistan as well as defence co-operation in general, we also share concrete ongoing projects in the development co-operation and cyber security sectors.

Clinton and Paet stated that it is essential to continue contributing to trans-Atlantic security. Secretary of State Clinton said that the USA takes its responsibilities to NATO very seriously, particularly the Article 5 obligation for collective defence. The Estonian foreign minister said it is important that at the upcoming NATO summit a strong, positive message is given to countries that want to get NATO membership in the foreseeable future, namely Georgia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

During their meeting in Washington, Clinton and Paet announced that together the USA and Estonia will co-chair a new working group that will support the development of new democracies (Network for Leaders Engaged in New Democracies – LEND). Paet said that the USA proposed to Estonia that they direct this new initiative together because Estonia’s activities in supporting new democracies are visible and effective.

Secretary of State Clinton said at the meeting that over the last 20 years Estonia has grown from a newly independent democracy to an important and respected voice in the international community. Clinton stated that the USA looks to Estonia as an important ally.

At their meeting, Paet and Clinton also spoke about developments in Afghanistan and the NATO summit taking place in Chicago in May. The foreign ministers agreed that at the current moment it’s very important that NATO allies and partners come to Chicago with concrete commitments to support Afghan security forces and economic development beyond 2014. “Estonia is prepared to support Afghanistan’s development with development co-operation and humanitarian aid when responsibility for security has been placed in the hands of the Afghan authorities for good,” said Paet. 

At their meeting the foreign ministers also spoke about the implementation of NATO’s “smart defence” principle, which helps the organisation respond to changing priorities and reduced defence spending. “A good example of smart defence is the air policing mission over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, and we’re very grateful to the USA for its support,” said the Estonian foreign minister.

Paet said that Estonia has also started joint development co-operation projects with the USA. “For example Tunisia, which has lived through the events of the Arab Spring, is interested in Estonia’s e-state experiences, and in co-operation with the USA we are prepared to share these experiences,” he added.

During their meeting Paet and Clinton also spoke about the situations in Russia, Syria, Iran, and Belarus.

View the transcript of Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s press conference in Washington:
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2012/03/187004.htm
 

5 October

Today Foreign Minister Urmas Paet spoke over the phone with Bidzina Ivanishvili, the leader of the Georgian opposition movement Georgian Dream who just won the Georgian parliamentary elections.

Foreign Minister Paet said to Bidzina Ivanishvili that Estonia still supports Georgia on its path to the European Union and NATO and will continue to share its reform experiences with Georgia. Paet also congratulated Ivanishvili on winning the parliamentary elections.

Ivanishvili confirmed the importance of the good relations between Estonia and Georgia as well as of taking advantage of Estonia’s reform experiences.

Paet and Ivanishvili met in Tbilisi on 12 September during Paet’s visit to Georgia.

16 October

In Luxembourg at the discussion on the report by the Future of Europe Group, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that currently the most relevant topic to discuss is how to enhance and improve the co-ordination of economic and fiscal policies among the European Union member states during the ongoing debt crisis. “We feel that it is necessary to delegate member states’ future decision-making rights to the EU to some extent and to strengthen EU institutions in the economic and fiscal policy sectors,” he said.

Paet said that there are also many areas in which forward progress can be made without changing the European Union legal area. “In order to develop the European common market, including the digital common market, there are no obstacles other than lack of willingness. We must move forward with developing the common energy policy and foreign and security policies. This requires no new agreements,” he added.

Estonia agrees with the report’s stance that the European Union’s actions in the global arena should be made more effective. Foreign Minister Paet noted that we have always supported the better co-ordination of the European Union’s foreign activities and a strong European foreign service. “Estonia also supports strengthening defence co-operation within the framework of the Common Security and Defence Policy,” he added.

Paet said that the joint report of the European Union foreign ministers puts forth thoughts and proposals for further developing the European Union’s integration processes and the report is one of many sources of ideas within the current debate over the future of the European Union.

5 June

On Monday, 4 June, Foreign Ministry Secretary General Alar Streimann randomly selected the winners of the Foreign Ministry’s Estonia-themed web-based quiz. The grand prizes of the Foreign Ministry’s web-based quiz were trips to Estonia, which went to Tim van der Maarel of the Netherlands and Vitali Scheremet of Russia. The goal of the Foreign Ministry Estonia quiz is to introduce Estonia to citizens of other countries by offering participants new and interesting facts in the hopes of inspiring them to do further research into Estonia and visit the country.

This year’s quiz was filled out by 10 100 participants from 105 countries. Secretary General Streimann stated that this is a record for the number of participants since 2002, when the Foreign Ministry quizzes began. “The tremendous number of participants reflects a diverse interest in Estonia. In addition to our close neighbours, responses also came from every corner of the earth, for example Honduras, El Salvador, Nepal, and Mongolia,” Streimann noted.  The most responses came from Russia, Ukraine, the United States, Belarus, Turkey and Germany.

The quiz was posted in two languages. There were 6 262 participants in the English-language quiz and 3 838 in the Russian-language quiz. The total number of people that answered all the questions correctly was 7 738.

Participants in the English-language quiz were eligible to win 4 trips in summertime Estonia. The grand prize was a six-day travel package for two including two round-trip plane tickets to Estonia from Estonian Air, nights in the Three Sisters and L’Ermitage hotels in Tallinn, a city excursion in Tallinn from Estravel, dinner in the restaurants MEKK and Olde Hansa, a Tallinn VIP Card from the city of Tallinn for visiting the sights, a visit to the Open-Air Museum and KUMU Art Museum, and a bike tour from Citybike. The package also included a trip to Saaremaa with a stop in the Georg Ots Spa Hotel.

Prizes for the Russian-language quiz were two travel packages in Estonia. The grand prize winner receives two round-trip plane tickets to Estonia from Estonian Air, nights in the Telegraaf Hotel and City Hotel Portus in Tallinn, and dinner in the restaurant Ribe. The winner will also visit Lahemaa and stay in the hotels of Sagadi Manor and Vihula Manor as well as Viinistu Hotel. The winner also receives a Tallinn excursion from Estravel and a Tallinn VIP Card from the city of Tallinn. The winner will visit KUMU Art Museum and participate in a bike tour in Tallinn organised by Citybike.

The Foreign Ministry has organised Estonia-themed quizzes geared towards foreigners since 2002. This year the quiz was organised for the 17th time. The quiz consisted of twelve multiple-choice questions about different facets of life in Estonia. The quiz was open to participants from 1 March to 31 May, and could be seen at the address http://quiz.mfa.ee/.  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would like to thank all the quiz participants and all the sponsors.

11 September

On 14 April of this year the court reached its first verdict, with which it declared Thomas Lubanga Dyilo, a warlord of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, guilty of recruiting and using child soldiers. With a decision made on 7 August the ICC set principles on the basis of which the system of paying collective reparations to victims will be formulated.

President of the Assembly of States Parties of the International Criminal Court Tiina Intelmann stated that the seminar in Tallinn allowed those in attendance to discuss concrete and urgent questions that are related to the paying of reparations to victims in the Lubanga case as well as rehabilitation for victims in general. “During the course of the seminar many weak points in the system were pointed out, and emphasis was placed on the need to constantly systematise and take into consideration the experiences of the ICC as well as earlier criminal tribunals,” Intelmann noted.

Participants at the seminar also agreed that the reparations process cannot be seen merely as compensation for damages—other important aspects are the rehabilitation of victims and symbolic gestures such as public apologies and the creation of memorials. In investigating and working with the victims of mass rape the cultural context must be considered, as many cultures condemn speaking about sexual violence.

The high-level ICC seminar “10 Years of the International Criminal Court: A Focus on Victims” took place in Tallinn from 10-11 September. During the seminar notable figures in the field such as Elisabeth Rehn and Silvana Arbia will discuss how to address victims in the context of the ICC, how to help them through the Trust Fund for Victims, and how to compensate them for their suffering. The seminar was opened by Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja.

Additional information on the ICC seminar: http://www.eihr.ee/icc-seminar-10-11-09-2012/
Additional information on the International Criminal Court: http://www.icc-cpi.int/Menus/ICC?lan=en-GB

10 January

At his meeting with Foreign Minister of Jordan Nasser Judeh in Amman, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that Jordan has become an increasingly important partner for Estonia in the Middle East. “Jordan has managed to maintain stability and international influence despite what is going on in its neighbouring countries,” he added.

Paet states that Jordan has, for example, played an important role in the Israel-Palestine peace process and offered refuge to those who have fled Palestine, Iraq and Syria.

In talking about co-operation between the two countries, Foreign Minister Paet said that in addition to close energy-related co-operation with Jordan, the development of other business contacts has been successful as well. “On the Estonian side interest in working with Jordan has been expressed by, for example, companies in the information technology field. Co-operation in tourism also holds great potential, since Jordan’s resorts on the Red Sea could be a sunny vacation destination for Estonians,” Paet stated. The foreign minister added that in order to intensify economic relations, we are interested in concluding an agreement for the protection of investments and an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation.

During the meeting Paet confirmed that Estonia is prepared to host an e-state delegation from Jordan and introduce Estonia’s e-state model to them as one of the most effective and reliable. “Estonia’s co-operation with Arab countries concerning e-states has increased. In addition to Palestine, we are also helping Tunisia and many other countries develop their e-solutions,” he stated.

Paet also invited the Jordanian foreign minister to visit Estonia.

24 February

The celebration of the 94th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia on 24 February included many festive events, such as the Defence Forces parade and the formal reception hosted by the president and Mrs. Evelin Ilves. During his speech at the festive concert prior to the formal reception, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves talked about Estonia’s future, covering topics such as security, recovery from the economic crisis, and ethics. When talking about current problems in our European Union he said that although economic difficulties tend to undermine European solidarity, it was extremely important for it to survive.

Ilves said that the European Union was the common concern of 500 million people. He acknowledged that many people feel it is unfair that those who have acted responsibly and seem poorer have to pay off even a portion of the debts of the irresponsible. "But is the exhaustion of solidarity in Estonia’s interests? It is easy to point a finger. But is that beneficial in the long term? Probably not,” the president said.

The president said that the European crisis was not a monetary system crisis, but a crisis of states’ monetary policy. “Estonia’s duty is to rigorously participate in establishing a system where similar crises cannot recur. It is important that Estonia’s voice be heard in this debate. Let us not forget that only four states in the euro area enjoy a credit rating higher than Estonia’s. We offer reliability. We are an example of the fact that the European rules are fine: you will not get into trouble if you follow them," the president went on to say.

In addition, the president said, Estonia can take advantage of the current state of affairs in order to take an even stronger role in the European Union, for instance, in the field of IT. “There are few states in Europe where the professionalism in such matters like Internet freedom or e-services is as high as it is here," the president said.

Read the full text of the president’s Independence Day speech here.

31 December

Dear people,

The year 2012 has now come to an end.
I see it as a year during which Estonia visibly matured.
We are no longer satisfied with what has been achieved. Even if this means things that Estonia is justified to be proud of.

This year bore witness to a number of strikes. We saw demonstrations, discontent with Estonian politics. This is natural in a mature democracy. Instead, the lack of all this should surprise us.

In a vibrant democracy everyone is not always happy with all the decisions. Discontent drives us forward. If a large enough group has had to agree to swift and unavoidable decisions for long enough, and if they have suppressed their discontent for long enough, then eventually it is only natural that at some point they can no longer approve of it.

This is what we saw in 2012. We took another step towards the normality in which we no longer suffer with gritted teeth just because we have to, just because we have become used to doing so. Politicians who either have or have not lied can be found both in Vastseliina and Vienna, from Lääne-Virumaa to West-Virginia. The relationship between money and politics breeds disappointment in every western democracy.

Instead, you should become worried, if one day these topics would no longer be discussed. A strike, as I have said long ago, is nothing but the continuation of pay negotiations by other means, means that are entirely legal.

In democratic countries, manifestations receive heightened media attention only once they become violent. Or when milk is publicly poured onto streets.

It pleases me that our citizens feel the need to emphasise that they have the right to participate in politics more often than only once every four years. Governments at both the state and local level must learn to take part in this exchange of ideas. Elections are a contract between the voters and those elected, not merely a one-off transaction. An election victory does not mean that one can steamroll over all opposition by referring to one's mandate. Democracy means constantly working for our future. This right and obligation cannot be delegated to anyone.

Already in a week's time, on 7 January, it will be possible in the online environment of the Rahvakogu to propose changes to the election law and the law on political parties.
Please use this opportunity. Actively and with full responsibility.

Dear compatriots,

The central topic of the census year has been migration and population decline. Some declare this to be the beginning of the downfall for both the state and the people. I too am worried. But let us recall that Estonia has fought for the free movement of our people for years. Voters have always supported visa-free regimes with other countries, voters have supported the right to free movement, to live and work abroad. They have seen this as a means to achieve the goal of self-realisation.

Emigration is the other side of the same coin. During the decade after World War II Finland lost more than half a million people to Sweden. More than a hundred thousand Swedes currently work in Norway. And do you know why? Because the wages are better in Norway than in Sweden. This fact is not meant to console, but to explain. People also emigrate from much richer countries than our own.

Of course, we cannot acquiesce to this. Instead, we must concentrate on making life in Estonia better. Around twenty years ago, an Estonian living abroad complained to me about why things in Estonia are done this way or that way, but not the way he'd like them to be done. I replied that in Estonia we do things the way those people want them to be done who also wish to live here.

Dear Estonian people,

In a little more than twenty years we have integrated into the West. In February, our independent country will turn 95 years old. A month after that there will arrive the day when our current period of independence will have de facto lasted longer than last time, before the war.

We recall the pessimism that followed the restoration of our independence, don't we? People asked: "Can we pull it off?" We have. We've done it. The European Union, NATO, and the euro are three convincing proofs.

And hence my last point today: in 2013, let us focus on Estonia and those people who want to live here. We know that a less stratified society generally tends to be more successful and happy. Differences will never be completely erased; life in the countryside and in the city is different everywhere.

However, state institutions do not have to be concentrated in the capital. Roads and other infrastructure should be developed more vigorously outside the capital. Electricity and other essential means for life should be more affordable in the countryside. People must feel that the police and rescue services are near everywhere.

In a successful and developed country, the quality of life does not depend on proximity to the capital. The only goal of optimising can be to provide the best and most sensible services for our citizens, not the reduction of costs at the cost of our people's wellbeing.

We created our state to live here. Where we want to. Everywhere in Estonia. This also connects with the topic of security. Our new National Defence Plan relies to a large extent on the Estonian Defence League. But if the country is empty, there can be no Defence League there.

Dear compatriots,

We are few here in Estonia. This means that each and every one of us is valuable. But it also means that we are more tightly bound to each another than people in a larger country. This is an advantage because people who think alike quickly find one another. And help promptly reaches those in need. But this small and flexible society can only flourish if we behave in a civil and tolerant manner. If we take care of one another. If we have calm debates instead of invective and threats. Let us hate less and listen more to each other.

For invective will leave a nagging feeling and will remain a hindrance long after its cause is forgotten. And with this I wish you all a happy new year, during which we will do our best to make life in Estonia better.

Happy New Year, Estonia!

19 November

President Toomas Hendrik Ilves is to chair the Steering Board of the European Cloud Partnership at the invitation of the European Commission. The function of the committee is to promote the use of cross-border digital public services in European business and the public sector.

Cloud data processing stands for storing computer data (for example, text files, images, videos) and software in remote locations, with users can access via the internet through the use of devices of their own choice. "There is no doubt that Estonia is one of the leading countries in Europe when it comes to the provision of public digital services. Chairing the Steering Board will be an excellent opportunity for Estonia to shape the trends of Europe and co-operate with visionaries and technology leaders like Amazon, Ericsson, F-Secure and Telefónica Digital. All the stakeholders involved in Europe will win from the mutual exchange of experiences," said President Ilves, who is in Brussels at the first meeting of the Steering Board of the European Cloud Partnership. "Cloud data processing technology represents the information technology of today. For us, it is important to establish a set of European rules and controls that will extend to all the European databases," he added.

The Estonian head of state, who was invited to chair the Steering Board by the European Commissioner for Digital Agenda Neelie Kroes, also stated that many member states are very sceptical about the implementation of digital public services, including cross-border services. Regular users and politicians are also afraid that digital records are not being kept safely and that different applications may lack the co-operation capabilities.

"We must work with preconceptions like that and use cloud data processing to fend off possible threats and risks," remarked President Ilves, who only recently led the European Union e-health working group, which he participated in at the invitation of the European Commission, and who was named one of the most innovative people in today's democratic world by the well-known technology portal, TechCrunch.

Cloud data processing is faster, cheaper, more flexible and safer than local IT solutions.  "The main beneficiaries would be the citizens of the European Union, small and medium size enterprises, and governmental institutions of every level. Also, service providers and data centre networks as well as software enterprises would gain from this solution," said the Estonian head of state.

The Steering Board established two large specific goals for the next two and a half years at their meeting today in Brussels. First, the establishment of a common European cloud data processing framework. Second, promoting the transition of public sector IT into the cloud (and, as the result, further promoting the use of the services in the private sector, particularly with small and medium size enterprises).

The Steering Board, chaired by President Ilves, includes a number of spokespersons and experts from their respective spheres, including Lèo Apotheker (former CEO of Hewlett-Packard), Christian Fredrikson (President and CEO of F-Secure Corporation), Hans Vestberg (Ericsson's President and CEO), Werner Vogels (Vice President of Amazon), Thierry Breton (CEO of ATOS), Bernard Charles (President and CEO of Dassault Systèmes).

18 July

Prime Minister Andrus Ansip met with Estonian soldiers serving under ESTCOY-14 at Camp Bastion and the Wahid patrol base in Helmand Province in Afghanistan today, stating that the difficult and dangerous work they were doing was contributing to the security of all and thanking them for doing so on behalf of Estonia. “Our soldiers who are serving here aren’t only fighting for security and stability in Afghanistan, but for the security of Estonia,” Ansip said, adding that the more than 2000 members of the country’s Defence Forces who had served on foreign operations and lived the actual life of soldiers played an integral role in Estonia’s defence capabilities. During the meeting he also thanked their families and friends, without whose support their being on foreign missions in such dangerous conditions would be all the more trying. As a memento, the prime minister presented each of the soldiers with a souvenir coin minted by the Bank of Estonia.

Lieutenant-Colonel Margus Koplimägi, the head of the Estonian contingent, gave the prime minister an overview of developments in Helmand Province in recent years and of the work that his contingent has carried out in the area. At Wahid patrol base, Major Eero Aija, the head of ESTCOY-14, spoke about the work his infantrymen have been doing: they are charged with the task of protecting local residents and driving back insurgents. He said that local village life has become much more peaceful. Compared to four years ago, when the area was largely under Taliban control, today around 6 000 Afghans have returned to their homes, and a newly renovated school will open for the local children in autumn. Aija added that co-operation with the Afghan army and police has also improved, with the armed forces being better trained and equipped than in 2006, when Prime Minister Ansip visited the mission for the first time.

The prime minister reassured the troops that at his meetings with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, British battalion head Mick Aston, US Commander Regional Command Southwest Major-General C. M. Gurganus, and Helmand forces head Brigadier-General Dag Chalmers that the Estonian soldiers were uniformly praised for their level of preparation, motivation and reliability. The British troops the Estonians serve with were likewise full of praise for their colleagues. “I think it’s fair to say our soldiers here are preceded by their reputation, in the very best sense!” the prime minister remarked.

ESTCOY-14 was deployed in May this year. Almost 160 Estonians (including civilians) are currently in Afghanistan. Prime Minister Ansip extended his thanks to the Estonian surgeons working in the military hospital at Camp Bastion and to the others civilians contributing their skills and knowledge for the betterment of the Afghan state. He plans to pay a visit to the hospital later today to meet with the four Estonians working there.

This trip marks Prime Minister Ansip’s third visit to Afghanistan. His first was in 2006 and his second in 2009.

27 January

In his speech given today, on Holocaust Memorial Day at the Centre of the Estonian Jewish Community on the occasion of the opening of the Memory Gallery, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip extended his thanks to everyone who saved the traditions of the Estonian Jews in World War II.

“I understand and share the grief and pain caused to your community by the Holocaust. The gallery opened today will keep alive the memory of the 974 victims of monstrous crimes against humanity. That means 974 tragic fates, nearly a thousand of our countrymen and women, an entire community for small Estonia,” the prime minister said.

In his speech, the head of the government called on people to contemplate good and evil more deeply on this memorial day. “As a small nation, Estonians have always understood the suffering of the Jews and held their friendship dear. We place great value on the contribution of our Jewish community in the story of the birth, rebirth, and success of the Republic of Estonia – starting from Jewish volunteers in the Estonian People’s Army in the War of Independence to cultural and economic figures who have brought fame and success to Estonia. For its part, the independent Estonian state has always striven to make its best efforts to ensure that our Jewish community has all ethnic cultural rights. That principle was written down in 1918 in the birth act of the Republic of Estonia, our Independence Manifesto,” said Ansip.

The prime minister noted that by 1993, during the first sitting of the Riigikogu, an act that expressly reopened the possibility of Jewish cultural local government in Estonia had already been passed. “I would like to express my recognition of the work done by the Jewish Community of Estonia,” said the head of government at today’s memorial event. " I am certain that success and mutual understanding cannot be overthrown by evil intentions or inconsideration, or by any provocateurs, yellow media, or foreign political forces.”

The prime minister emphasised that the crimes of totalitarian regimes are indelible and can never be justified, and Estonia has unequivocally condemned them.
 

15 August (ERR)

One of Tallinn's most high-profile technology business centres, the Tehnopol Science Park, opened a new incubator on 14 August aimed specifically at helping fledgling tech companies get off the ground. The Tehnopol Startup Incubator offers 800 square meters of office space, meeting rooms and demo rooms - enough to accommodate 16 new enterprises and a total of 60 people, Tehnopol said in a release. In addition to the physical facilities, the startups will have access to training sessions and networking events.

Tehnopol board member Pirko Kontsa said that, as global experience has shown, being located in the same space creates synergies between companies, which in turn has generated some of the world's best business concepts.

In his keynote speech at the opening of the Startup Incubator, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said it is crucial is to ensure that the education offered in Estonia evolves with the times, emphasising the importance of the IT industry to the Estonian economy. "Innovative people succeed even when times are tough – what really matters is how they are prepared. If our young people do not study mathematics, physics and engineering, our startups will never take off," he said. Speaking about the success of Estonian startup companies, Ilves referred to GrabCAD and ZeroTurnaround.

The same day as the incubator launch, Tehnopol also announced the opening of the Prototron startup fund, a joint project between Tehnopol, Swedbank and Tallinn University of Technology, that will provide a total of 120 000 euros in seed money for the top three ideas submitted by 15 September.

Tehnopol has been providing support services to startups since 2003.

2 March

At the economic conference “An Estonian and Finnish Economic Union?” held in Tallinn today, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet spoke about Estonia’s foreign economic policy priorities as they relate to the Nordic countries, the European Union internal market, and free trade, as well as wider global opportunities. Finnish Minister of European Affairs and Trade Relations Alexander Stubb also spoke at the conference. 

When speaking about economic co-operation with the Nordic countries, Foreign Minister Paet noted that the EU’s Baltic Sea region is one of the most dynamic and successful regions in the world, while also being stable. “Our countries are in good shape in terms of economy and finances, as well as politics and society. The Nordic countries value the same liberal economic model as Estonia. We emphasise innovation, research and development, export, and economic growth,” Paet stated.

Paet said that the well-being of the Estonian economy is most closely tied to the Nordic countries, which are also our primary foreign trade policy partners. “31% of Estonia’s foreign trade is tied to the Nordic countries. And about 60% of direct investments in Estonia come from those same countries. Estonia-Finland relations specifically are intertwined on the level of businesses. Nowhere else do we have so many partners in small or medium enterprises,” Paet added. There are over 4 000 companies with Finnish participation registered in Estonia.

Estonia’s main trade partners are Finland, Sweden, Russia, Latvia, and Germany. “The other Nordic countries also have their main trade partners right here in Europe, though not necessarily as close neighbours like Estonia,” Paet said.

In talking about the European Union internal market, Foreign Minister Paet emphasised that it still holds a great deal of potential. “First we must exhaust all the opportunities already offered to us by the internal market and also continue working to develop it. The European Union as a whole has a bigger economy than even the United States. This is a factor we must use to our advantage. The internal free movement of people, goods, services and capital is a truly unique phenomenon in the world,” Paet asserted. He added that the development of information and communications technology has brought with it new opportunities that should be used in developing the digital internal market.

In his speech, Paet also went into more detail on global free trade and business potential in the world in general. “The economy of Estonia or one of the Nordic countries on its own is too small. Together we must find opportunities to encourage growth in the exports and economies of the entire region, without doing it at one another’s expense,” said Paet. “To achieve success on new and growing markets we must do more to ensure that liberal economic relations thrive far from home as well. This all requires closer contacts, political co-ordination, and standing for our common interests within the EU and outside of it,” he added.

Paet said that one good example of Estonia and Finland’s common trade policy interests is their common neighbour Russia successfully completing negotiations with the WTO. “When Russia joins it will open up new opportunities on the market, where up until now there was a sometimes unpredictable business environment. Russia adopting the same rules is important to both Estonian and Finnish entrepreneurs that export their goods to Russia,” said Paet. “Russia is already among the top three export markets for Estonia and Finland, and when it joins the WTO a number of obstacles that limited trade should disappear. It is important to ensure that Russia actually fulfils the promises it made during negotiations,” said the foreign minister.

Foreign Minister Paet also talked about opportunities to enter Asian markets. Paet said that Estonia is working on increasing its capabilities to interact with Asia by increasing diplomatic representation in China and opening an embassy in India this summer. “A good example of successful co-operation with growing Asian markets was the recent joint visit of Estonian and Finnish ministers to Indonesia, together with business delegations,” he added.
 

12 July (BNS)

By a judgment issued on Thursday, the Estonian Supreme Court dismissed the application of the chancellor of justice to declare Section 4 of Article 4 of the ESM Treaty to be in conflict with the Estonian Constitution. The judgment made by the Supreme Court en banc says that although the contested article restricts the financial competence of the Estonian parliament, the principle of rule of law and the sovereignty of Estonia, the restriction is justified.

On 12 March Chancellor of Justice Indrek Teder lodged an application with the Supreme Court for constitutional review of the Treaty Establishing the European Stability Mechanism (ESM Treaty), as he considered said provision to be in conflict with the Constitution. Under the ESM Treaty, generally, financial assistance is granted at the consent of all contracting parties. However, Section 4 of Article 4 of the treaty states that in exceptional circumstances, when the economic and financial sustainability of the euro area are threatened, it shall be possible to grant a contracting party financial assistance under an emergency procedure requiring a qualified majority of 85 percent of the votes cast. Thus, financial assistance may be granted regardless of the opposition of Estonia.

In assessing the ESM Treaty, the Supreme Court considered the restriction arising from the article, namely the decrease of the power to decide the use of public finances. It also considered the purpose of the contested article – to ensure an efficient decision-making procedure in case of a threat to the financial stability of the euro area, including Estonia. It said an economically and financially unstable euro area would pose a threat to the financial and economic stability of Estonia.

By acceding to ESM, the Riigikogu would assume a financial obligation to Estonia, the maximum limit of which is provided by the ESM Treaty. The Supreme Court took into account the fact that even in the emergency procedure financial assistance would be granted in stringent terms, which also include respective decisions of the European Central Bank and of the European Commission.

In addition, the Supreme Court noted that the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia Amendment Act adopted in a referendum of 2003 does not enable the unlimited delegation of Estonia's competence to the European Union. If the founding treaty of the European Union is amended or a new founding treaty is entered into and if it brings about more extensive delegation of Estonia's competences to the European Union and more extensive interference of the Constitution, the consent of the bearer of the supreme political authority, that is, the people of Estonia, shall be asked and the Constitution probably has to be amended again.

The Supreme Court also pointed out the procedural requirements to be followed by the Riigikogu upon ratification of the ESM Treaty. It is up to the Riigikogu to decide whether Estonia accedes to ESM.

The Bank of Estonia said there are grounds to believe that in the future ESM will be the main channel for helping euro area member states and Estonia's staying out of that system would reduce the possibility to get financial aid in a situation of need.

Had the Riigikogu declared the provision unconstitutional, Estonia would not be able to accede to ESM. The parliament is now expected to gather during the summer to vote on the ratifications of the ESM Treaty.

Plans are for ESM to be launched in July. On Monday Germany's Klaus Regling, currently head of the European Financial Stability Facility (EFSF), was elected head of ESM. The size of the Estonian commitment to ESM would be 0.186 percent of its size or about 1.3 billion euros.

12 April (BNS)

NATO needs uniform cyber security standards so that all members of the alliance understand cyber security in the same way, Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves said in an address at Harvard University on Wednesday.

“Just as all of us in NATO know to which standards the tanks, aircraft and ammunition of the alliance must conform, we also need international co-operation among allies to find common standards in cyber security,” Ilves said.

"We see the academic world paying more and more attention to cyber security. The same commitment must be shown by politicians and military in all NATO member states," the president said. He stated that even the biggest skeptics must have realised by now that cyber security is not merely a technical nuance or intelligence matter, it is one of the most burning security challenges of a democracy, be it protection of vital infrastructure or intellectual property.

The president spoke about Estonia as a progressive and safe e-state that knows how to protect its residents' data and is able to successfully hold e-elections. Thus, it is natural for Estonia to have become a spokesman for cyber security and use of e-solutions in both NATO and the European Union, he said. Co-operation between these two influential international organisations is important but unfortunately as good as nonexistent at present, he noted.

Ilves said he hopes that the upcoming NATO summit in Chicago will once again define ensuring cyber security as a common challenge for all members of the alliance, not to be dismissed in the future as something that does not concern them and can be handled by others.

After delivering the speech the president met with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, one of the major shapers of U.S. foreign policy in the near past. On Thursday the Estonian head of state will speak at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, take part in a roundtable organised by the Department of State on cyber security issues together with top U.S. government cyber security officials, and meet with the White House co-ordinator for cyber security Howard Schmidt as well as Alec Ross, adviser for innovation to the secretary of state.
 

26 June

Estonia wants for European Union agricultural supports to be equalised more quickly, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated today at the meeting of the European Union foreign and European affairs in Luxembourg, where the next EU financial framework (2014-2020) was discussed. 

Paet said that in budget negotiations Estonia is supporting the joint proposal of the Baltic states in which they ask that direct supports be equalised more quickly, especially for the sake of those countries whose direct supports are far below the European Union average like the Baltic states. “This would ensure better grounds for competitiveness in a common market and make it possible to help out the countries with the smallest support,” Paet said.

According to Foreign Minister Paet, unequal agricultural supports distort the European Union’s common internal market. “Particularly during the current complicated time, it is essential that we abolish such distortion, as this will also help with economic growth,” he said. Paet added that agricultural supports for some member states are many times bigger than those for others and this situation is not justified.

Two other important topics for Estonia are the option of a higher cap for the percentage of GDP that can be received in cohesion policy funds and the eligibility of non-refunded VAT. “We would like for the 2.5% cap for cohesion policy funds to not apply to those countries that have been the most deeply affected by the economic crisis. Namely the countries whose economic growth from 2008-2010 was below the EU average,” the Estonian foreign minister explained. “When it comes to eligibility of non-refunded VAT, we support continuing with the same system from the previous period, in which VAT is an eligible expense for the public sector as well,” Paet added. These proposals have already been added to the negotiating box by the current EU presidency Denmark.

Paet said that Estonia supports the European Commission’s proposal regarding the general size of the budget and feels it is essential that the new financial framework focus on ensuring economic growth, increasing competitiveness, and creating jobs.

18 July

British Prime Minister David Cameron visited the Estonian unit at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan today, thanking the soldiers serving on the mission for the excellent work they are doing in Afghanistan. “Estonia’s soldiers are courageous and professional, and we’re grateful to them all for working with us,” Cameron said upon greeting the troops.

At a bilateral meeting of the Estonian and British prime ministers, Ansip and Cameron stated that the two countries’ co-operation as partners in NATO and on joint military operations in Afghanistan had proven a great success.

The prime ministers said that compared to 2006, when both Ansip and Cameron visited Afghanistan, the situation in the country has improved markedly – with the local army and police having been bolstered and locals showing them more trust. This inspires hope that Afghanistan will be peaceful and stable enough by the end of 2014 for NATO to end its military operations in the country.

Following their meeting, the prime ministers sat down and shared a meal with the soldiers.

30 March

At his meeting in Helsinki today with Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that by working together, Estonia and Finland can increase their countries’ representation and also cut costs. “A good example of this is the exchange programme for Estonian and Finnish diplomats. Next we will be welcoming a Finnish diplomat to our embassy in Georgia; last year an Estonian diplomat worked at the Finnish Embassy in Zambia,” said Paet. “In addition, joint Estonian-Finnish visits with business delegations provide good opportunities for introducing the region and developing trade relations. One good example is the recent joint visit to Indonesia,” he added.

Paet stated that two new Estonian honorary consuls will begin working in Finland in 2012 – in Rovaniemi and Kuopio – which will bring the total number of honorary consuls to eight. “Addressing the needs of Estonian and Finnish citizens is made much easier by the legal aid agreement concluded last year, which allows for documents from both countries’ population registers to be recognised without an apostille,” he added.

Foreign Minister Paet said that Estonia is also interested in carrying out joint development co-operation projects with Finland, for example in Afghanistan. “Estonia will continue to help with the construction of Afghanistan using development co-operation and humanitarian aid resources, and joint projects with Finland would make this aid even more effective,” said Paet. “Potential co-operation projects could be related to increasing women’s rights or business training for young people,” he added.

Paet said that co-operation with Finland could also be intensified in the cyber defence field.

During their meeting, Paet gave Tuomioja an overview of developments in connection with the construction of Rail Baltic. “Decisions have been made regarding the route and administrative structure, now Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania must co-ordinate starting the thematic plan, which will provide the basis for technical projects,” said Paet. “Intense preparatory work will help us to use the European Union funds as efficiently as possible,” he added.

Foreign ministers Paet and Tuomioja also spoke about the situations in Iran and Syria as well as developments in Russia.
 

12 June (BNS)

The Cybercrime Convention Committee of the Council of Europe has re-elected Markko Künnapu, an official from the Estonian Ministry of Justice, as its chair. Künnapu, who works as adviser at the penal policy department of the Ministry of Justice, was returned to office at last week's meeting in Strasbourg. He was first elected chairman of the committee in 2010, prior to which he served as vice chairman, the Ministry of Justice said.

"Markko Künnapu's re-election as president of the committee for the next two years shows how highly an Estonian's contribution in this position was regarded," Justice Minister Kristen Michal said.

The main task of the committee established in 2006 is to analyse legislation of state parties to the Cybercrime Convention concerning the implementation of the convention and practical problems related to it, find solutions to problems and give recommendations. It also organises exchanges of information about important legal, political and technological developments in the field of computer crime among its members.

Künnapu has been working at the Ministry of Justice since 2005. Before that he worked at the Estonian Ministry of the Interior and the police.

29 March

While giving a public lecture at George Washington University in Washington DC, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that in the context of growing economic competitiveness it is important that the European Union and United States co-operate and work together in the leading role. “Estonia feels that it is essential for the European Union and USA to conclude a free trade agreement,” he added.

Talking about developments in the European Union, Paet stated that Europe has always come out of crises even stronger. “I believe that despite the pessimistic forecasts, Europe is once again coming out of the crisis,” he noted. “There was an extremely ambitious plan behind the creation of a unified Europe and now, 60 years later, the idea of a war between European nations seems absurd,” said Paet. “And regardless of some economic difficulties, European countries remain among the most prosperous in the world,” he added.

In his speech, Paet noted that in order to combat the debt crisis, European countries must make budget cuts. “Taking loans at the expense of future generations or security is not sustainable,” he asserted. “Europe’s solution to the debt crisis has two parts – financial stability and solidarity,” added the foreign minister.

The Estonian foreign minister stated that regardless of internal difficulties, the European Union is still popular. “Currently there are 11 more countries that would like to join the European Union. So we can see that the EU is still attractive,” he added.

In Washington Foreign Minister Paet also met with Strobe Talbott, the president of the USA’s oldest think tank the Brookings Institution. At their meeting Paet and Talbott spoke about developments in Russia and matters related to the US presidential elections.

26 April

At their meeting in Bangkok, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Foreign Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand Surapong Tovichakchaikul discussed opportunities to intensify political contacts and economic ties between Estonia and Thailand as well as tourism co-operation, including the topic of implementing a visa waiver for all Estonian citizens.

Paet said that Estonia would like for its citizens to have the opportunity to travel to Thailand without a visa, which would help to develop economic co-operation and tourism relations. “Thailand is a major destination for Estonian tourists, and a visa waiver would increase interest in the country even more,” Paet added. The Thai foreign minister said that he supports Paet’s proposal in principle.

Foreign Minister Paet said that the Thai foreign minister is welcome to visit Estonia and that economic ties would certainly be enlivened by visits by reciprocal business delegations. “We would also like to hold the first political consultations between our foreign ministries this year in Tallinn,” he added.

The agreements concluded between Estonia and Thailand last year for the avoidance of double taxation and for co-operation in culture and education are very important for promoting Estonia and Thailand’s economic and education co-operation. “There is ample room for growth in our economic co-operation. By concluding these agreements, we hoped to create favourable circumstances for business activity in Estonia and Thailand and facilitate contacts between people and student exchanges,” said Foreign Minister Paet.

They also spoke about co-operation in the logistics sector. The European Union and Russia are important trade partners for Thailand. Paet said that Estonia could be a gateway to the Nordic countries, the EU and Russia for Thai businesses, serving as a transport corridor and a logistics and distribution centre. “Estonia’s advantages are its geographical location, favourable business and investment climate, developed transportation connections, an accessible and high-quality workforce, and essentially waste-free ports,” he added.

Foreign ministers Urmas Paet and Surapong Tovichakchaikul agreed that Estonian and Thai businesses could have closer co-operation in the area of tourism. “Estonian tourists have discovered Thailand as a destination for holidays and we hope that Thai tourists’ interest in Estonia will grow. For example, Tallinn is a popular cruise stop on the Baltic Sea,” he added.

Paet also praised Estonia’s honorary consuls in Thailand, who have helped Estonian citizens resolve problems on many occasions. He added that hopefully Thailand will soon appoint an honorary consul in Estonia.

At their meeting they also addressed co-operation with the European Union and in the UN and reciprocally supporting one another’s candidacies. Estonia also supports starting negotiations for a free trade agreement between the European Union and Thailand.

In the context of human rights and freedoms, the ministers talked about co-operation in the UN Human Rights Council and cyber security and defence.

10 January

Yesterday Foreign Minister Urmas Paet visited the Syrian refugee camp located in Zaatar, Jordan, 30 kilometers from the Syrian border, where so far 63 000 people have found refuge. Nearly half of them are children. There is already a total of 270 000 Syrian refugees in Jordan and the number is growing.

Foreign Minister Paet stated that due to bad weather, the living conditions of people in the Zaatar camp have become very poor. “In addition to the fact that people lack food and water, they must also deal with problems caused by the rain and cold weather. For months the refugees have been living in tents that are not heated, and many tents are flooded with rainwater,” said Paet, describing the situation in the camp.

Paet said that Estonia is supporting the improvement of Syrian refugees’ situation in Jordan with an additional 100 000 euros. “Above all the refugees require a heated living space,” he added.

The foreign minister also noted that if the Syrian conflict continues and armed activity intensifies, we can expect the number of refugees in Jordan and Syria’s other neighbouring countries to grow even greater. “Therefore the international community must continue to support Syrian refugees as well as the countries that have put forth great effort to welcome refugees. In Jordan, for example, about 1000-1500 new refugees arrive each day,” he emphasised.

Paet said that we must continue to pressure the Syrian regime to engage in negotiations to find a solution to the conflict. “In addition to ending the violence, it is essential to achieve a cease-fire and the formation of a transitional government in Syria,” he noted.

In addition to the new donation, Estonia has already supported Syrian refugees in Jordan with 50 000 euros donated through the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Estonia has also supported Syrian refugees in Turkey with 70 000 euros through the Red Cross Federation and the UN Emergency Response Fund for Syria with 50 000 euros. At the end of January an international aid conference about helping Syrian refugees led by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon will be held in Kuwait.

Over 60 000 lives have been lost and at least 2.5 million people require humanitarian aid as a result of the ongoing conflict in Syria. According to UN data there are a total of 540 000 refugees in Syria’s neighbouring countries Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Egypt, and the number continues to grow. There are also nearly 4 million internally displaced persons in Syria.

11 October

At his meeting in Tallinn yesterday with Georgian Foreign Minister Gregory Vashadze, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that following the parliamentary elections in Georgia it is essential to have a peaceful and stable start to the work of the new parliament and to create and launch a new government.

“We support Georgia’s aspirations to join NATO and strengthen ties with the European Union,” Paet noted.  “Hopefully negotiations for the Association Agreement between  the European Union and Georgia will be wrapped up next year and the action plan for visa facilitation will be approved before the end of this year,” he added.

Paet stated that Estonia supports discussing NATO enlargement at the next NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in December, as well as having a meeting of the NATO-Georgia Council within the framework of the meeting.

Georgian Foreign Minister Vashadze confirmed that Georgia will continue moving towards the European Union and NATO. “We are grateful to Estonia for the support it has given us,” he added.

8 December

According to Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, who is currently participating in the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Brussels, both the USA and European allies must make vital decisions with regards to maintaining and increasing defence spending. “The Libya operation that began in spring and was successfully completed in summer demonstrated the need for the alliance to maintain a certain level of capability. Although NATO managed to continue all its other operations and activities during that time, it’s clear that the allies cannot just rest on their laurels,” said Foreign Minister Paet.

Foreign Minister Paet said that Estonia’s decision to increase its defence spending to over 2% of its GDP has earned a positive response from our allies. “However, many other countries have reduced their defence spending over the past few years. This trend must be stopped – budgetary decisions should not be made at the expense of defence funding,” said Paet. “It should actually be the other way around – there are many changes happening in today’s world, many of them far from positive, and therefore NATO member states must take a serious look at their defence budgets,” he added.

Foreign Minister Paet emphasised that the economically complicated times require smart thinking and smart defence from NATO member states. “One good example of smart defence is the Baltic air policing mission, which should continue in the future,” he added.
 

16 May

During their meeting in Tallinn today Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Deputy Secretary of State of the USA William Burns, who is in Estonia for a visit, spoke about the close co-operation between Estonia and the USA in international security co-operation, development co-operation, and the cyber sector.

Foreign Minister Paet stated that the NATO summit in Chicago must give a clear message that the alliance is capable of reacting to the complicated economic situation and remaining the strongest military alliance. “We call on all allies not to reduce their defence spending and to fulfil their responsibilities so that NATO will be capable of fulfilling its responsibilities in the future and can preserve its deterrent capability,” he added.

Foreign Minister Paet thanked his US colleague for his support for the decision to continue the NATO air policing mission long-term and also for the USA’s regular contribution to air policing rotations. “Air policing is a good example of allies’ solidarity and contributions to ensuring security,” said Paet. “The air policing mission over the Baltic states is also one of the best examples of the ‘smart defence’ principle,” he added.

In talking about internet freedom and security, Foreign Minister Paet noted that cyber topics must increasingly be addressed from the viewpoint of basic freedoms and human rights. “The decisive events that took place in North Africa last spring demonstrated the role that information technology can play in advancing democracy and human rights. Supporting freedom of expression on the internet is just as important as all other activities for protecting and advancing human rights,” Paet added. “As a candidate to be a member of the UN Human Rights Council from 2013-2015, one of Estonia’s priority topics is internet freedom,” he added.

Foreign Minister Paet expressed hope that through Estonia-USA co-operation a greater contribution can be made to developing cyber defence and cyber security in the international arena.

Paet and Burns also addressed the activities of the new working group for supporting the development of new democracies (Network for Leaders Engaged in New Democracies – LEND), which is co-chaired by Estonia and the United States. Paet said that this is an additional opportunity to support the modernisation and democratisation of transitioning countries using information technology solutions.

Paet expressed satisfaction over the fact that Estonia-USA co-operation has intensified. “A joint project in Belarus to educate civil society in e-governance and cyber security has successfully been launched, as has a project to promote business studies and entrepreneurship among young people in Moldova,” said Foreign Minister Paet. “We also greatly appreciate the USA’s support for the work of Estonia’s Centre of Eastern Partnership,” he added.

Deputy Secretary of State of the USA William Burns also met with President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. They discussed keeping NATO a powerful military alliance, supporting development in Afghanistan, and cyber security. "Although NATO does not have to be a central international organisation for the purposes of cyber defence, it would be short-sighted and negligent if the alliance failed to focus on these issues," Ilves said during the meeting
 

6 March

At the session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women taking place at UN headquarters in New York, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that Estonia feels international agreements on promoting women’s rights and gender equality are very important.

The Estonian foreign minister stated that a strategy is not enough to fight violence against women. “Many interconnected activities are required, such as preventative measures that involve the wider community as well as NGOs. A support system– shelters and help hotlines – is also needed for the victims of violence,” Paet noted. “Co-operation among all parties is vital – civil society and the government, as well as various institutions,” he added.

Paet stated that the legislative framework is also essential for promoting the rights of women. Estonia has an action plan for reducing violence and developing criminal policy, and an action plan has also been approved for implementing Security Council Resolution 1325. The Estonian foreign minister emphasised the important of the principles of the Beijing Declaration as well as adhering to the action plan to fulfil them.

The main topic of this year’s session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women is the fight against violence against women in all its forms. In addition to ensuring quality services for all victims, another keyword is primary prevention, which is often a matter of education and changing attitudes.

Estonia’s best practices for primary prevention were introduced during a high-level expert panel discussion held after the session by director of the department for gender equality of the Estonian Ministry of Social Affairs Liina Kanter. “Gender-based violence is one of the harshest manifestations of gender inequality,” said Kanter. “Changes for the better start with the courage to see and recognise the inequality. At the same time, it is difficult to admit that we live in an unsafe society, where one can become a victim of violence based solely on one’s gender. This is why we consider it important to increase people’s awareness of their rights as well as opportunities to get help. Every person has the right to a safe life free of violence,” Kanter emphasised.

The Commission on the Status of Women is a commission of the UN Economic and Social Council that is made up of 45 members. Estonia is a member of the commission from 2011-2015. Every year representatives of the member states gather at UN Headquarters in New York to give an evaluation of gender equality-related developments, talk about challenges, and make international standards for promoting gender equality and women’s rights more effective. In addition to representatives of the governments, representatives of NGOs also participate in the session.

In addition to addressing the problem of violence against women, the currently ongoing 57th session is also focusing on equal responsibility for men and women, for example in preventing the spread of the HIV/AIDS virus, and taking the aspect of gender equality into account in fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals. Member states are working on conclusions in parallel with the two-week high-level debate and roundtables. The goal of the conclusions is to recognise problems related to the fight against various forms of violence against women and violence prevention and to offer globally oriented solutions.

4 April

Today Foreign Minister Urmas Paet met with Catriona Laing, the head of the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in the capital of Helmand Province Lashkar Gah. “Due to the reduction of foreign troops, civilian co-operation and development aid play an increasingly important role in building up Afghanistan and supporting the development of the country,” Paet emphasised.

Foreign Minister Paet stated that the goal of development aid is to make the reforms that have been carried out in Afghanistan irreversible and help the country reach the stage where Afghans can manage affairs in their country. Over the past many years Estonia has contributed first and foremost to building up the health care and education sectors in Helmand. “Our goal has been to enable as many women and children here as possible to get better health care and education than before,” said Paet.

From 2008-2012, Estonia has sent four experts to the British-led PRT. “We hope that our contribution to the co-ordination of international development co-operation projects and the development of the health care sector in Helmand Province have borne fruit and that the local community will soon take responsibility for health care issue entirely onto themselves,” stated the foreign minister.

In talking about future co-operation opportunities, Paet noted that this year Estonia would like to send one of its experts to join Great Britain’s Department of International Development (DFID) team in Kabul. Estonia will also continue contributing to the NATO Training Mission (NTM-A) and the EU Police Mission (EUPOL) in 2013.

At his meeting with Laing, Foreign Minister Paet also confirmed that Afghanistan remains one of Estonia’s development co-operation priority countries and this year we will contribute 1.4 million euros to development co-operation in Afghanistan. “In our development co-operation activities, we give particular attention to standing for the rights of women and children, since they are the most vulnerable groups in the country. Therefore there are many activities that Estonia will continue supporting in the future that focus on improving the situation of women and children,” Paet explained.

At the meeting, Paet also gave an overview of Estonia’s biggest ongoing bilateral development co-operation projects, which are Tallinn University’s project to develop an IT-related master’s programme at Kabul University; the Estonian School of Diplomacy’s project, within the framework of which short training courses are carried out for Afghan diplomats; and the project of the NPO Mondo, which involves holding various types of training courses in rural areas in Afghanistan. “We also welcome Afghan officials in Estonia to become acquainted with Estonia’s e-state concept projects,” he added.

26 January

In a meeting in Jakarta with Indonesian Minister of Defence Purnomo Yusgiantoro, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet talked about cyber security and cyber protection as well as opportunities for Estonian companies to participate in Indonesia’s defence-related procurements. “We are prepared to share Estonia’s national cyber security strategy and how things work in our country with Indonesia,” he added. Paet stated that in addition to developing its own national cyber security, Estonia also works actively to develop cyber security in NATO, as the NATO Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence is located in Tallinn.

The Estonian foreign minister also spoke with the Indonesian minister of defence about the fight against piracy. “In the fight against piracy, information exchange and co-ordination among nations and various international organisations is essential,” Paet said. He added that Estonia participates in the European Union military mission ATALANTA with a vessel protection unit. “Indonesia’s activities over the last ten years in making the Strait of Malacca safer deserve recognition,” he added.

Paet and the defence minister of Indonesia also discussed the security situation in the Pacific Ocean region and in Southeast Asia.

Paet stated that there are many companies in Estonia that would be interested in working together with Indonesia’s Ministry of Defence and army.

At his meeting with Minister of Communication and Informatics Tifatul Sembiring, Paet recognised Indonesia for belonging to the leading group of Open Government Partnership (OGP). “Open Government Partnership is an innovative idea for spreading the principles of democracy to those countries that are not led by democratic governments. Hopefully it will become an effective means for spreading the principles of rule of law,” Paet stated. “Estonia has used technological solutions to ensure the openness of government and the involvement of citizens, for example through internet banking, a unified state internet portal, electronic ID cards, and e-voting,” he added. Paet also recommended that Indonesia join the Council of Europe’s Convention on Cybercrime, which is the only international agreement in this area and is not restricted only to European countries.

During a meeting with Indonesian Minister of Health Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, Paet spoke about Estonia’s e-Health system, which helps to improve public services. “We are prepared to share our experiences in this area and we welcome Indonesian experts to Estonia to learn more about the system,” he stated.
 

9 May

At his meeting in Mexico City with Mexican Foreign Minister José Antonio Meade Kuribreña, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that Estonia would like to intensify its political, economic, and cultural ties with Mexico, one of the countries in the G20.

The Estonian foreign minister is on a visit to Mexico with Finnish Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb and a delegation of Estonian and Finnish entrepreneurs. “Mexico, with a population of over 100 million and a position among the world’s leading industrial countries, offers many opportunities for co-operation,” noted the Estonian foreign minister. “That is the goal of our visit here together with entrepreneurs. The last Estonian business delegation visited Mexico in 1995,” said Paet. He added that a Mexican business delegation is welcome to come visit Estonia.

Soon an agreement between Estonia and Mexico for the prevention of double taxation will come into force.

Paet said that Estonian IT companies have very good experiences with working in Mexico. “Today Regio’s location-based solutions are already in use in Mexico, and hopefully many of our other innovative e-solutions will come here soon as well, such as e-health applications,” said Paet. “We are prepared to share our experiences with Mexico and introduce our solutions in many other areas as well,” he added.

At their meeting, the ministers spoke about political consultations between the foreign ministries of the two countries. “Next we are expecting a Mexican delegation in Estonia for consultations,” Paet stated. The ministers agreed that prior to the next round of consultations in Tallinn, e-diplomacy would be implemented.

According to Paet, Estonia would like to appoint additional honorary consuls in Mexico. “We have concrete plans to appoint honorary consuls in Tampico and Cancun in the near future,” said Paet. The Estonian honorary consul general in Mexico is Claude Le Brun.

While talking about bilateral cultural relations, they recalled the wonderful reception of the concerts of Arvo Pärt’s music performed in Mexico in October of last year. “Film-related co-operation has also intensified—last year a special programme of Mexican films was part of the programme of the Black Nights Film Festival,” Paet noted.

During their meeting, Paet also expressed his condolences for the loved ones of those lost and injured in the tragic gas tanker explosion that took place in the suburbs of Mexico City. At least 24 were killed and almost 40 injured when a gas tanker exploded early in the morning on 8 May.

The Estonian and Mexican foreign ministers also discussed co-operation in the UN, the UN Human Rights Council, and reciprocally supporting each other’s candidatures.

During the trilateral meeting of ministers Paet, Stubb and Meade Kuribreña, they discussed Mexico’s relations with the European Union and the situation in the Latin American region. They also talked about the format that unites the world’s top industrial nations, the G20. “Mexico is also an important partner to Estonia as a supporter of international free trade,” Paet added.

Foreign Minister Paet and Minister Stubb also spoke at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico). Paet spoke to the students about the European Union’s future developments and Estonia’s role in them.

15 August

On 20 August 2011 Estonia will be celebrating 20 years since the independence of its country was restored with a number of fascinating events.

The Foreign Ministry and the Estonian Foreign Policy Institute have organised a conference on 20 August entitled “20.08.1991 – Twenty Years On”. At the conference the former and current government leaders and foreign ministers of the Nordic countries, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Russia will focus on the experiences gained over the last 20 years as well as new challenges. Participants in the conference will include Icelandic Foreign Minister Össur Skarphéðinsson, Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, Latvian Foreign Minister Audronius Ažubalis, and Lithuanian Foreign Minister Ģirts Valdis Kristovskis. On Saturday, 20 August at 12.45 the foreign ministers of Estonia, Iceland, Lithuania, Latvia, Sweden, Denmark and Finland will give a joint press conference in the Teachers’ House in Tallinn.

On the evening of 20 August the massive free music event “Song of Freedom” will be held at the Tallinn Song Festival Grounds. The concert will include performances by Estonian artists as well as Finnish, Norwegian, Latvian, and Irish performers. Midnight will officially mark the beginning of Iceland Day, a special day of Icelandic culture that is Estonia’s way of thanking Iceland and celebrating the special relationship between Estonia and Iceland. Icelandic President Ólafur Ragnar Grímsson will be there to kick off the Iceland Day event. More information: http://www.tallinn2011.ee/_song_of_freedom__to_mark_20th_anniversary_of_...

Throughout the day on Sunday, 21 August, over ten musical acts from the island nation will appear in Tallinn’s courtyards, venues, and on Iceland Square, Iceland-themed exhibits will be unveiled, and a Nordic-inspired food market will take place. Many of the scheduled events are free of charge. Foreign Minister Urmas Paet will participate in various cultural events taking place within the framework of Iceland Day. “The fact that Estonia has decided to dedicate the 20th anniversary of the restoration of its independence to another country, calling it Iceland Day, is a great honour for our country,” commented Icelandic Ambassador to Estonia Elín Flygenring.

Read more about the schedule of Iceland Day: http://20.ee/iceland-day .
 

16 May

At the conference on UN Security Council reform being held in Rome, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that the UN plays a very important role in ensuring global security, and therefore the changes that have take place in the world should be reflected by the composition and development of the UN Security Council. Estonia supports strengthening the UN and making it more effective.

Paet said that the permanent membership of the UN Security Council should reflect changes that have occurred in the world as well as today’s power relations. “The main goal of reforming the UN Security Council is to expand membership and ensure equal representation of geographical regions among both permanent and non-permanent members,” stated Foreign Minister Paet. He expressed hope that it would be possible to move forward with the UN Security Council reform and achieve real results.

Estonia would like to make a contribution to global peace and security and is therefore a candidate to be a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council from 2020-2021. Estonia is also a candidate to be a member of the UN Human Rights Council from 2012-2015.

Paet said that in order to ensure peace, quality of life in developing nations, and economic success, Estonia feels it is essential to focus on improving the security of women and children in developing countries, issues related to climate change, and the fight against hunger and poverty, to name a few things.

“Last year, under the leadership of Estonia and Tunisia, the UN Entity for Gender Equality UN Women was created, which is an important step towards achieving these goals,” Paet stated. UN Women addresses women’s rights and gender equality all over the world and implements programmes to improve the situation of women in developing countries.
 

13 October (ERR)

Estonia’s national football team has won a ticket to next month's all-important Euro 2012 qualification playoffs thanks to a 1-0 victory by Slovenia over their Serbian rivals on 11 October. Before the match in Maribor, Estonia was barely hanging onto second place in qualifying group C with 16 points to Serbia's 15. The Estonians needed a Slovenian win or at least a draw to maintain their position.

Fans throughout Estonia are no doubt singing the praises of midfielder Dare Vrsic, who scored the game's only goal from 40 meters out on a free kick at the end of the first half.

In mid-November, eight teams that placed second in their groups will face one another in sets of two-leg playoffs to determine which four will be headed to the Euro 2012 championship in Poland and Ukraine next summer.

Match-ups for the playoff ties were announced on 13 October, and Estonia will be going up against the Republic of Ireland on 11 November.
 

27 January

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Portuguese Foreign Minister Paulo Portas signed an agreement in Santiago stating that an Estonian diplomat would begin working at the Portuguese Embassy in Brazil this sprint.

“This agreement is a good example of EU co-operation among the foreign services of various countries. The goal of sending an Estonian diplomat to the Portuguese Embassy is to prepare for the opening of our own embassy in Brazil,” Paet stated. Estonia currently has honorary consuls in three areas of Brazil.

Paet said that similar agreements have been concluded prior to the opening of our embassies in Tel Aviv and Cairo. “In Tel Aviv our diplomat began making preparations for the opening of our embassy while working, in accordance with a similar agreement, at the Dutch Embassy,” Paet noted. “In Cairo our diplomat had the same assignment while working at the Swedish Embassy.”

18 July

At the meeting of the European Union foreign ministers held today in Brussels, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet notified his colleagues that the seven Estonian citizens abducted in Lebanon on 23 March had been freed on 14 July and returned home to Estonia early on the morning of 15 July. “This very complicated situation, which went on for about four months, has reached a positive conclusion and the abducted men are back home with their families and loved ones,” said Paet.

Paet thanked the European Union, High Representative for the EU Catherine Ashton, the EU representations in Beirut and Damascus, and his colleagues in all European Union countries for their co-operation and help in finding and freeing the Estonian citizens. “This co-operation flowed effortlessly and is confirmation of the European Union states' support for one another, even in a complicated situation that is of importance to one member state,” Paet noted. “Estonia has received practical and positive confirmation of the fact that in countries where we do not have our own representation, we are still represented through the European Union,” he added.

His European Union colleagues expressed happiness over the fact that the complicated situation had a positive resolution and that the abducted Estonians are back home.
 

7 August (ERR)

Heiki Nabi earned Estonia its first medal of this summer's Olympic Games on Monday by taking silver in men's 120kg Greco-Roman wrestling. The 27-year-old Hiiumaa island native secured his place in the final earlier in the day by defeating Johan Euren of Sweden 3-1 in the semifinals. In the final match, however, he lost to Cuba's Mijaín López Núñez, a four-time world champion in the weight category and the 2008 Olympic gold medalist, with a score of 3-0.

Until now, Nabi's career best has been a gold medal in the 2006 world championships in Guangzhou.

2 November

Speaking at an international conference on e-solutions and cyber-security in London, Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves urged representatives of the 65 nations attending the event not to overlook e-state and e-government and to provide both in the interests of their citizens.

President Ilves said that although he could focus on the darker side of the issue, with Estonia having been the first country to experience a cyberattack, he would happily talk about the positives, giving his country as an example. As one of the key speakers at the conference, to which decision-makers from more than fifty countries were invited by British foreign minister William Hague, the Estonian head of state drew a picture of contemporary Estonia including the X-Road portal, digital signatures, e-elections, e-police, digital prescriptions, and the opportunities offered by the www.eesti.ee portal.

“All of these e-solutions, which are used every day in Estonia, support openness and democracy, rein in corruption, and make it much easier for our citizens to deal with the state,” said President Ilves, who is chairing the European Union’s working group on e-health care.

“It’s vital in a democratic society where more and more e-state-style solutions are being used that the information that’s collected about citizens is made available to the citizens themselves and that its being accessed by others is effectively obstructed and monitored,” he said.
 

9 August (BNS)

The international rating agency Standard & Poor's on Tuesday raised the long-term sovereign credit rating on Estonia to AA- from A. The short-term ratings were at the same time upgraded to A-1+ from A-1. The outlook is stable, the agency said.

The upgrade reflects what S&P views as Estonia's consensus-driven policy framework, economic flexibility, transparent and productive public sector, sound fiscal management, and strong economic growth prospects. "We expect policy to remain predictable, prudent, and supportive of growth over the ratings horizon," the agency said.

In the agency's judgment, Estonia's commitment to conservative public financial management in the context of a rigid monetary framework was demonstrated between 2008 and 2010.

For 2011 as a whole, net exports are likely to contribute between one and two %age points to overall gross domestic product growth, S&P believes. It expects the greatest GDP growth driver over the next few years will be investment, associated with sizeable inflows of European Structural and Cohesion Funds coming primarily via the capital account, alongside a recovery in private consumption.

A severe slowdown in Estonia's trading partners, in particular Finland and Sweden, would likely present the most material risk to Estonia's medium-term growth prospects, S&P said.

At the beginning of July the rating agency Fitch raised Estonia's foreign and local currency issuer default rating (IDR) to A+ from A, with the outlook as stable.

In April S&P affirmed its A rating on Estonia and upgraded the outlook to positive from stable.
 

20 April

Last night a video clip was sent to the Foreign Ministry of the seven Estonian citizens abducted in Lebanon. Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that the sending of the video clip is a sign that somebody is interested in initiating contact.

From the video it appears that all seven abducted Estonian citizens are alive and well. However, it is not known when the clip was recorded.

The message did not include the conditions of the victims’ release, any demands, or information on who is behind the abduction.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that the crisis commission will continue to work together with all the relevant establishments and international partners until this situation is resolved. Co-operation is also ongoing with nations in the Middle East and with our European Union and NATO partners.

14 February

At his meeting with Sri Lankan Minister for Economic Development Basil Rajapaksa, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that Sri Lanka is an attractive economic partner for Estonia in the transit and logistics sector. “Sri Lanka is one of South Asia’s most important shipping countries, and Estonia could serve as a gateway to European Union and Russian markets for Sri Lankan entrepreneurs,” he noted. The foreign minister also added that the European Union is Sri Lanka’s biggest trade partner and primary export market.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet opened a seminar for Estonian and Sri Lankan entrepreneurs in Colombo that is taking place in co-operation with the European Union Chamber of Commerce in Sri Lanka.

Paet stated that the transport sector plays a vital role in Estonia’s economy, as around 12% of the GDP comes from the transport sector. “Estonia’s strategically favourable location and the modern infrastructure and technology in our ports would allow Ski Lankan entrepreneurs to arrange transit more effectively here than in most other European ports,” stated Paet. “The combination of maritime, highway, and railway connections helps to save time and expenses and allows for access to both the European and Russian markets,” he added.

Participating in the Estonia-Sri Lanka business seminar in Colombo is a 25-member Estonian business delegation.

19 April

Foreign Minister Paet stated that the objective of his meetings in Beirut today was to be certain that the Lebanese authorities are continuing to do everything in their power to find the location of the abducted Estonians, and also to become familiar with the investigation currently underway in Lebanon. Foreign Minister Paet met with President Michel Sulayman, Minister of the Interior Ziad Baroud, the leadership of the Foreign Ministry, and other officials.

At his meeting with Foreign Minister Paet, President Sulayman confirmed that Lebanon is continuing to do everything it can to find the kidnapped Estonians and clarify the circumstances of the kidnapping. “There is still plenty of work to do before we reach a conclusion,” emphasised President Sulayman. “We are gathering information on the whereabouts of the Estonians from the arrested individuals, who actually carried out the abduction,” he added.

Minister of the Interior Ziad Baroud confirmed that finding the abducted Estonians is a priority. “This is a question of Lebanon’s reputation,” said Minister of the Interior Baroud.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that during the meetings all the Lebanese officials confirmed that Lebanon doesn’t need such a negative image of their country and therefore will not stop before trying every possible option to find the Estonians. “The area of the investigation is not confined to the Bekaa Valley – it is going on in other areas as well,” he added.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that the Estonian representatives in Lebanon would continue to work together with the local authorities. “We’re in the final stages of the process to name an Estonian ambassador to Lebanon as well,” confirmed Foreign Minister Paet.
 

28 March

Today in Beirut Foreign Minister Urmas Paet met with President of Lebanon Michel Sulayman, Minister of the Interior Ziad Baroud, prime ministerial candidate Najib Mikat, who is currently responsible for forming a new government, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berr, Chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces General Kahwaji, top Foreign Ministry personnel, and other officials. Paet also met with representatives of EU and NATO countries in Lebanon.

Foreign Minister Paet said that in every one of his meetings, the Lebanese representatives gave a clear signal that finding the seven abducted Estonian citizens and catching the perpetrators is an important priority for Lebanon. “The president, interior minister, chief of the armed forces, and others all confirmed that Lebanon is doing all it can to solve this kidnapping and free the Estonian citizens,” he asserted.

The foreign minister noted that there are still many possible versions of the event being investigated, but so far none of them have enough factual evidence. “Different versions are being investigated and the Lebanese security forces and army are continuing their operations in the area where the Estonians were abducted,” he added.

Paet said that close co-operation with Lebanon as well as our partner countries is very important.
 

8 August (ERR)

Discus thrower Gerd Kanter earned Estonia its second medal of the 2012 Olympics on Tuesday evening, finishing third in the event with a 68.03 meter throw. The 33-year-old Tallinn native made his best distance on the fifth attempt, but was still short of the 68.27 m achieved by gold medal winner Robert Harting of Germany. Iranian Ehsan Hadadi's 68.18 m throw earned him the silver.

Kanter won gold in Beijing in 2008 with a throw of 68.82 m. His personal best, 73.38 m, is the third longest throw on record.

20 April

Today in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet discussed co-operation for finding the Estonian citizens abducted in Lebanon with the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. “Since Saudi Arabia was mentioned in the video that was sent to the Foreign Ministry, I ask my Saudi Arabian colleague for additional information and analysis,” said Paet.

Foreign Minister Paet also got in touch with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh to notify him that Jordan was also mentioned in the video message and to ask for additional information and analysis.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan all promised to help in any way they could.

Foreign Minister Paet, who is currently attending a meeting of the European Union and Gulf Co-operation Council member states, also discussed co-operation for finding the Estonian citizens abducted in Lebanon with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton.

Last night a video clip of the seven Estonian citizens abducted in Lebanon was sent to the Foreign Ministry. The message did not include the conditions of the victims’ release, any demands, or information on who is behind the abduction. The crisis commission will continue to work together with all the relevant establishments and international partners until this situation is resolved.
 

13 March

The Estonian Foreign Ministry is allocating 200 000 EUR to help victims of the earthquake and resulting tsunami in Japan.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that Japan is Estonia’s close ally and shares the same principles, so Estonia would like to support disaster-stricken Japan during this complicated time. “Japan has not yet been able to assess the full extent of the damage from this catastrophe and they have not directly asked the international community for help, with the exception of a few rescue teams. However, it is clear that regardless of the country’s good disaster readiness the need for aid is very great and Estonia must try to help Japan as quickly as possible,” said Paet.

Foreign Minister Paet added that since the day after the disaster Estonia has been prepared to send an urban search and rescue (USAR) team and experts to Japan as part of the UN or European Union evaluation teams. “Up until now Japan has only accepted a few teams and has preferred those from the Pacific region,” he said.

A magnitude 8.9 earthquake struck the northern part of Japan on 11 March and was followed by an extremely destructive tsunami. The total death toll is not yet known and over 10 000 people are missing. Over 300 000 people have been evacuated. There are 5.57 million households without electricity and 600 000 without water. The Fukushima nuclear plant has also been damaged in the aftermath of the earthquake.
 

31 January 2011

At their meeting today in Brussels, the European Union foreign ministers issued an appeal for the Egyptian authorities to release peaceful demonstrators and avoid any further violence like that which has erupted in many Egyptian cities during the nearly week-long protests against President Hosni Mubarak. There is also concern over disturbances in Tunisia and other North African nations.