Lithuania has established official diplomatic relations with the Kingdom of Tonga, BNS reports. The official ceremony took place in conjunction with the United Nations General Assembly meeting in New York. Until now, Tonga was one of the six remaining UN member states with which Lithuania had no diplomatic relations. Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis thanked…
The presidents of the three Baltic States — Estonia’s Alar Karis, Latvia’s Edgars Rinkevics, and Lithuania’s Gitanas Nauseda — have called for reforming the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), BNS reported. They stressed the need to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its military aggression. Karis pointed to the UNSC’s current inability to resolve conflicts,…
Estonia’s Foreign Ministry denied any change in the country’s Middle East policy after Estonia voted for a UN General Assembly resolution condemning Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories, ERR reported. Earlier, several former foreign ministers and MPs suggested that Estonia’s recent UN votes on Palestine implied a shift in Estonia’s foreign policy. The Foreign Ministry’s secretary…
Estonia ranks among the world’s top nations in cyber security, according to the Global Cybersecurity Index of the UN’s International Telecommunication Union, BNS reports. The index assessed progress on digital security measures in terms of legal, organisational, technical, capacity-building, and cooperation efforts. The report pointed to Estonia’s robust cyber security legislation and regulation, effective organisational…
Estonia has voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution urging Israel to end the occupation of Palestinian territories, ERR reports. Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna noted that international law must apply to all UN member states. At the same time, he stressed that the vote did not change Estonia’s support for Israel. The US…
The foreign ministries of Estonia and Latvia will hold their annual seminar in the border town of Valga on 17-18 September 2024, LSM reports. Foreign ministers Margus Tsahkna and Baiba Braze will open the seminar, which is now being held for the ninth consecutive year. The ministers and foreign service officials will discuss defence and…
Latvian President Edgars Rinkevics will pay a visit to the US on 17-27 September 2024, LSM reports. He will lead a Latvian trade delegation to California, visiting major technology companies, including Google, Groq, Meta, and OpenAI, as well as NASA’s Ames Research Center. Also, Rinkevics will take part in a roundtable discussion at Stanford University….
Latvia ranks highest in the Baltic States in achieving the UN’s sustainable development goals, according to the UN’s Sustainable Development Report 2024, LSM reports. Latvia ranked 13th in the sustainable development index, which was up from 14th place in 2023. Estonia ranked 15th, while Lithuania was on 31st place. Latvia’s overall score on the index…
Underage marriages still occur in Lithuania primarily due to teenage pregnancies, despite a decline in recent years, LRT reports. Legislation allows courts to lower the legal marriage age of 18 in cases such as pregnancy. However, this practice has been criticised by the United Nations and children’s rights advocates, who argue that minors cannot give…