Estonian President Karis begins farewell tour of allied countries — ERR News
Estonian President Alar Karis and First Lady Sirje Karis have begun a series of official visits to the country’s closest allies ahead of the end of his term next month. As ERR News reports, the trip includes Germany, Poland, Sweden, Finland, Latvia and Lithuania.
The purpose of the visits is to thank the leaders of these countries for their close, trusting and friendly cooperation during Karis’ presidential term, which began in 2021, and to reaffirm allied ties for the future.
Meetings in Europe
At the end of August, Karis paid an official visit to Latvia, where he was received by President Edgars Rinkēvičs. Last week, the Estonian president also attended the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York.
This week, the Estonian presidential couple has already met German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Elke Büdenbender in Berlin. In Warsaw, Alar and Sirje Karis met Polish President Karol Tadeusz Nawrocki and Marta Nawrocka, while in Vilnius they met Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and First Lady Diana Nausėdienė.
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A visit to Helsinki is scheduled for Thursday for a meeting with Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Suzanne Innes-Stubb. On Friday, King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden and Queen Silvia are due to receive the Karises in Stockholm.
Security and cooperation
Karis emphasized the role of the countries he is visiting in European security, strengthening NATO’s eastern flank and supporting Ukraine. He also noted Estonia’s cooperation with these states in education, culture and the economy.
Estonia has close bilateral relations with all countries on the itinerary and cooperates with them in the EU and NATO. Estonia is also united with Finland, Sweden, Latvia and Lithuania through the Nordic-Baltic NB8 cooperation format.
Alar Karis assumed office as head of state in October 2021. On October 12, he is to hand over presidential powers to Ülle Madise, whom the Riigikogu elected president in the first round of voting on September 2.
