Baltic: Presidents issue statement on importance of EU membership

The presidents of the three Baltic States issued a joint statement on the 20th anniversary of the accession of their countries to the EU in 2004, BNS reported. The presidents stressed the importance of EU membership for the well-being, security, and economic growth of the three Baltic countries. Also, the presidents called for opening EU…

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Lithuania: EP President collects 2023 Freedom Prize

European Parliament President Roberta Metsola has collected the 2023 Freedom Prize awarded by the Lithuanian parliament, the Seimas, to the European Parliament, LRT reports. The European Parliament declined to accept a cash prize of EUR 11,000. Radvile Morkunaite-Mikuleniene, deputy speaker of the Seimas, suggested allocating the money to investigators of Russian war crimes and crimes…

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Baltic: Parliamentary committee chairs praise Taiwan elections

The chairmen of the foreign affairs committees of the Baltic parliaments, Estonia’s Marko Mihkelson, Latvia’s Rihards Kols, and Lithuania’s Zygimantas Pavilionis, praised Taiwan’s presidential and legislative elections held on 13 January 2023, LSM reports. In a joint statement, they said that the elections demonstrated the strength of Taiwan’s “robust democratic system,” saying that the country…

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Estonia: PM Kallas refuses to attend parliamentary committee session

Estonia’s Prime Minister, Kaja Kallas, has refused to attend a joint session of the state budget and the anti-corruption select committees of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, on 29 August 2023, ERR reports. The committees will hold an extraordinary joint meeting to discuss the operations of Estonian businesses in Russia. Kallas has come under heavy…

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Estonia: Estonian nation needs “more clarity, less noise”: Pres. Karis

The Estonian nation has never been extinguished despite having once lost independence through occupation and oppression, Estonia’s President, Alar Karis, stated, ERR reports. Speaking on Estonia’s 32nd Independence Restoration Day, Karis said that the Estonian state was founded on “liberty, justice, and the rule of law,” in that order. He said that freedom constituted the…

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Estonia: MP calls for closer cooperation with Taiwan

Estonia should strengthen cooperation with Taiwan and consider opening a Taiwanese representative office (Taipei Mission) in Tallinn, Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu, stated, ERR reports. Speaking after a joint visit by the heads of the foreign affairs committees of Baltic parliaments to Taiwan, Mihkelson noted that…

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