01-02.04 Foreign minister Urmas Paet will be attending a NATO foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels. The foreign ministers will discuss what steps NATO can implement in support of Ukraine. NATO-Russia relations will also be discussed. The first meeting of the NATO Istanbul Cooperation Initiative at the foreign ministerial level will also be held, with which the 10th anniversary of this format will simultaneously be celebrated. A meeting of the NATO-Georgia Council will also take place. In addition, the foreign ministers of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) will meet, who will discuss the presidential and local elections taking place in Afghanistan on April 5, as well as issues related to planning NATO's “Resolute Support” mission.
A brief ceremony will be held between meetings to celebrate the success of the recent waves of NATO enlargement.
01.04 Foreign minister Urmas Paet will speak at the International Conference on Genocide Prevention in Brussels.
01.04 The Council of Europe’s NB8 meeting will take place in Tallinn. The Estonian delegation will be led by the director general of the foreign ministry's political department Sander Soone. Among other things, the situation in Ukraine and topics related to the promotion of freedom of the Internet will be discussed. Cooperation of the Nordic and Baltic countries or NB8 is a regional cooperation format, which includes Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania.
02.04 The Estonian Foreign Policy Institute is organising a lecture given by Uffe Elleman-Jensen on the topic of New Challenges for the Baltic Sea Region to be held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Uffe Elleman-Jensen is one of the founders of the Council of Baltic Sea States and has been a candidate for NATO Secretary-General. He is currently the Honorary Chairman of the Baltic Development Forum.
03.04 The Foreign Ministry, in cooperation with the Nordic embassies and the Foreign Policy Institute are holding an Arctic seminar, where topics of discussion will include the work of the Arctic Council and Estonia’s opportunities to apply for observer status on the Arctic Council. The seminar will be opened by foreign minister Urmas Paet. Arctic Council Member States and representatives of the Foreign Policy Institute will speak. Journalists interested in covering the seminar are requested to register no later than April 1 by e-mail at [email protected].
04 - 05.04 Foreign minister Urmas Paet is taking part in a European Union foreign ministers’ meeting in Athens. The European Union foreign ministers will discuss the situation in the Eastern Partnership countries, concentrating on Ukraine and the latest events in areas south of Europe, especially the situation in Syria and the effects of the conflict in the region. Relations with the European Union’s strategic partners will also be discussed in light of the latest events in Ukraine, focusing primarily on Russia and the United States. In addition, a bilateral meeting between the Estonian foreign minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus Ioannis Kasoulidis is also on the agenda.
04.04 Consular consultations with Turkey will take place in Ankara. Topical consular issues, visa policy and other related issues will be discussed. The Estonian delegation will be led by Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Legal and Consular Affairs Lauri Bambus.
04.04 The Foreign Ministry’s Undersecretary for Political Affairs Kyllike Sillaste-Elling will be in Paris for security-political consultations. Meetings will be held with representatives of the French foreign ministry and defence ministry.
04.04 Foreign Ministry consuls will present ways to “Travel wisely” to students at Tallinn’s School No. 21. The consuls will discuss travelling, studying or working in foreign countries with the students, including how to prepare for a trip and what to do when you need help while in a foreign country.
Cultural events abroad:
02-05.04 Writer Indrek Hargla will introduce his novel “Apothecary Melchior and the Wheel Well Ghost” in France. This year, Indrek Hargla’s second novel in the Melchior series “Le spectre de la rue du puits”, translated by Jean Pascal Ollivry, was published by the French publishing house Gaia. Indrek Hargla will introduce his book at the Paris bookstore Le Livre Ecarlate, at the Montauban bookstore La Femme Renard and at the Bordeaux Literature Festival Escale du livre.
03.04 The exhibition “Waterfowl People. The Film Journeys of Lennart Meri 1969-1988” chronicling the expeditions of writer, filmmaker and Estonia's former president Lennart Meri to film Finno-Ugric peoples will be opened at the Cork Vision Centre in Ireland. Also on display are Loit Jõekalda’s photos of Finno-Ugric people’s cave drawings. At the opening, Estonian, Finnish, Hungarian and Sami music will be performed by the duo of Kristi Mühling (zither) and Aare Tammesalu (cello). On April 4 Kadi Raudalainen, director of Fenno-Ugria will give a lecture entitled "Estonia: Searching for Finno-Ugric Roots" at the Cork Vision Centre.
06.04 Villu Veski and the Estonian TV Girls' Choir will perform with soul and jazz singer-composer Ola Onabule at London’s Southbank Centre as part of the Choral Music Festival. Villu Veski will also be holding a workshop as part of the festival on April 5. For more information: http://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whatson/ola-onabule-the-estonian-tv-g-81130?dt=2014-04-06.
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