The speaker of the Riigikogu, Lauri Hussar, began an official visit to Germany on Monday, as part of which he will meet with the leaders of the German parliament, participate in a roundtable on the economy and open Estonia’s honorary consulate in Munich.
In remarks published ahead of departure, Hussar said that Germany is Europe’s largest economy, one of the most influential member states of the European Union and an important ally in NATO, with whom Estonia has close cooperation in many areas. The meetings in Germany will discuss further cooperation between the parliaments, economic and defense cooperation and continued support for Ukraine.
In Berlin, Hussar will meet on Monday with Barbel Bas, president of the lower house of the German parliament, and Manuela Schwesig, president of the upper house, and speak at a seminar of Estonian honorary consuls, where the main topics will be economic diplomacy and the promotion of Estonian culture in Germany. In the evening, the speaker of the Riigikogu will present letters of honor for civil diplomacy at the Estonian embassy and give a speech at a reception dedicated to the 106th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia.
On Tuesday, Hussar will participate in a roundtable organized by the organization of Bavaria’s economic and employers’ associations, where the development of economic relations between Estonia and Germany will be discussed with business leaders, along with topics related to energy, the green transition and the defense industry. Hussar will also meet Ilse Aigner, president of the state parliament of Bavaria, and Eric Beisswenger, the state minister for European affairs. The visit will end with the opening of Estonia’s honorary consulate in Munich and a meeting with local Estonians.
The Riigikogu speaker is accompanied on the visit by the chairman of the Riigikogu foreign affairs committee, Marko Mihkelson, and the chairman of the group for Estonia-Germany interparliamentary relations, Andres Sutt.
Source: BNS
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