President Karis: Baltic States need good infrastructure connectivity

“Better connectivity between our infrastructures is crucial for our countries, regardless of whether we talk about synchronising our electrical grids, Rail Baltic or shared offshore wind farms. Reliable and good connectivity will improve our bilateral relationship and economic growth,” the Estonian Head of State added.

The meeting also involved lengthy discussions of the security challenges in our region. The heads of state jointly condemned the hybrid attacks taking place on the border of the European Union and Belarus, where nationals of other countries are exploited for illegal border crossings.

The Estonian Head of State expressed his satisfaction that the meeting also includes a visit to the University of Tartu. “We all currently need the knowledge and skills of our scientists and doctors to cope with the ongoing pandemic. We are all in the same situation and must overcome it together: by getting vaccinated, wearing a mask and limiting our contacts,” President Karis added.

The Estonian Head of State today welcomed his Latvian colleague in Otepää and together they paid a visit to St Mary’s Lutheran Church, the parsonage of which was the site for the official consecration of the first blue-black-white flag in 1884. Otepää also served as the venue for the bilateral meeting of the presidents, after which they headed to Tartu, where they visited Tartu Town Hall and met Mayor Urmas Klaas. The presidents of Estonia and Latvia also visited the University of Tartu, where they were greeted by Rector Toomas Asser.

The heads of state will next stop at the Estonian National Museum, where President Karis will give his colleague a tour of the building. The President of Latvia is also planning to visit the Baltic Defence College.