President Alar Karis met the Prince of Wales

President Alar Karis emphasised the long-standing and strong friendship between Estonia and the United Kingdom when meeting His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, who is visiting Estonia. The Estonian Head of State thanked the United Kingdom for their committed contribution to the security of Estonia and the entire region.

“The United Kingdom is an important ally of ours – the presence of their soldiers in Estonia and their leading role in NATO is the basis for security in the region,” said President Karis. “Their support has helped to strengthen the eastern border of NATO and given our people a greater sense of security.”

The Head of State emphasised the importance of cooperation between democracies in the light of changes in the security environment and Russia’s continued aggression. “We must contribute more to defence and the defence industry to achieve a full capability that reduces dependency and increases the strategic self-confidence of Europe,” said President Karis. He emphasised that solidarity is key – every country, big or small, must contribute proportionately. “Estonia has decided to raise its defence budget to at least five percent of GDP from next year.”

In addition to security issues and international cooperation, the wider use of renewable energy and new technologies were also discussed at the meeting. President Karis spoke about Estonia’s ambitions in the field of technology and education, emphasising the importance of the use of artificial intelligence skills in the society of the future. Other topics discussed at the meeting included educational and cultural cooperation, including the celebration of the jubilee year of Arvo Pärt in London.

As part of the visit, the Prince of Wales will also visit the Tapa Army Base, where he will meet British soldiers serving in the Allied forces of NATO. He will also visit the Ukrainian school and meet representatives of the Estonian Cleantech Association to learn about innovative solutions in the field of clean technology. The visit underlines the strong bilateral relations and security cooperation between the United Kingdom and Estonia.