At a meeting following the presentation ceremony, Ambassador Auväärt and Governor General Arbour discussed the close and practical alliance between Estonia and Canada, as well as cooperation on security, support for Ukraine and economic affairs.
“Canada’s role in ensuring the security of our region and supporting Ukraine cannot be overstated. We greatly value the presence of Canadian forces in our neighbouring country Latvia and Canada’s significant contribution to NATO’s collective defence,” Auväärt said.
The Ambassador noted that economic ties between Estonia and Canada have grown increasingly close in recent years. Cooperation between the two countries encompasses, among other areas, critical minerals and global supply chains, including rare earth production and the magnet factory opened in Narva last autumn by the Canadian company Neo Performance Materials.
The Ambassador also highlighted the Estonian community in Canada, which is one of the most vibrant Estonian communities outside Estonia. A testament to this is KESKUS, the international Estonian centre that opened in Toronto a month ago.
“Amid the tragic events of the 20th century, Canada gave thousands of Estonians the opportunity to build a new home and a future, for which we are deeply grateful. We also greatly value Canada’s decision to be among the first countries in the world to recognise the restoration of Estonia’s independence,” the Ambassador said.
Gert Auväärt was born on 22 August 1980. He holds a master’s degree in law from the University of Helsinki and has undertaken further studies in cybersecurity at the Marshall Center and the European Security and Defence College. Since 2004, he has held various positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including as Legal and Economic Adviser at the Estonian Embassy in The Hague and Legal Adviser at Estonia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations. From 2017 to 2018, he was Head of International Relations at the Estonian Information System Authority (RIA), and from 2018 to 2021 he served as Deputy Permanent Representative at Estonia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, where his responsibilities included successfully completing Estonia’s first campaign for a seat on the UN Security Council and coordinating Estonia’s substantive work and presidencies during its membership of the Council.
From 2021 to 2026, Auväärt served as Deputy Director General of RIA and Director of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-EE). For the past five years, he also represented Estonia on the Management Board of the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and was a member of the European Cyber Crises Liaison Organisation Network (EU-CyCLONe).
