On 13 April, the very first virtual forum for Estonians around the world will be held, where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will present its activities and plans concerning the diaspora. Hille Hanso and Ellen Valter, Estonians living abroad, will also speak at the forum, talking about how global Estonians could participate in Estonia’s development.
The virtual forum for global Estonians is a continuation of the survey conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs among the diaspora last year and is the next step in strengthening co-operation between Estonia and Estonians living abroad.
“I am sincerely pleased with the feedback from the survey of Estonians living abroad, which confirms the desire to maintain a strong connection with their homeland and contribute to the progress of Estonia. The survey also revealed the concerns of Estonians living abroad, which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can take into account when planning activities related to the diaspora,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets.
“It is especially important for us that Estonians living abroad also participate in the virtual forum and share their thoughts and experiences. I am convinced that trust-based co-operation with global Estonians will contribute to the achievement of the future goals and international success of Estonia,” said Liimets.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will present its current activities and plans concerning the global Estonian community at the virtual forum and will reveal in more detail the results of the survey conducted last year among Estonians living abroad. The forum will also discuss how the new focus topics of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, business and cyber diplomacy, help to shape Estonia’s reputation in the world. Consular services and news for Estonians living abroad will also be introduced.
The virtual forum will be attended by Hille Hanso, a political scientist and journalist living in Turkey, and Ellen Valter, a lawyer living in Canada.
The virtual forum will take place on Tuesday, 13 April from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the Worksup: https://worksup.com/app#id=DIASPORAA2021
The broadcast can be viewed later.
The summary of the survey of global Estonians conducted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can be found here: https://vm.ee/en/news/foreign-ministry-survey-estonians-living-abroad-are-keen-contribute-estonias-development