Estonian president to meet with Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Germany

TALLINN - Estonian President Alar Karis is to meet with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin on Tuesday.

The Estonian head of state is on a three-day visit to Germany, accompanied by First Lady Sirje Karis and a large business and cultural delegation.

"Germany is one of Estonia's most important and diverse trading partners, and we are interested in further strengthening our economic ties at the regional level as well. The purpose of this visit is to deepen cooperation between Estonia and Germany and to further develop our economic relations. I am joined by a business delegation and representatives of the cultural sector, as we consider it essential to maintain a cultural bridge alongside cooperation in green technology, digital solutions, defense industry, and science -- especially in this meaningful year when we are celebrating the 90th birthday of Arvo Pärt and the 500th anniversary of the Estonian book. I made a similar visit to Germany last spring, and this one clearly shows our determination to continue consistent and meaningful cooperation. This time, special attention is on cooperation with the state of Saxony," he said.

On Wednesday, the president is scheduled to meet in Dresden with Saxony's Minister-President Michael Kretschmer and Minister of Economic Affairs Dirk Panter and open a business forum. He will also visit the company X-Fab, a member of of Silicon Saxony, Europe's largest microelectronics cluster, as well as the new Dresden office of Estonian software company Nortal.

The president will open the largest Estonian-German art exhibition to date, "Spiegel im Spiegel: Encounters Between Estonian and German Art from Lucas Cranach to Arvo Pärt and Gerhard Richter," at the Lipsiusbau Art Hall. The exhibition, organized by the Dresden State Art Collections and the Art Museum of Estonia, is dedicated to the 90th birthday of composer Arvo Pärt. The head of state will also visit Germany's largest children's and youth theater, Theater Junge Generation, which will soon be headed by Estonian playwright and dramaturge Mihkel Seeder.

On Thursday, Karis will visit Mittweida and Chemnitz. In Mittweida, he will open an Estonian-Saxon business seminar, and during meetings with local officials, the strengthening of economic and cultural ties between the two regions will be reaffirmed.

The visit will conclude in Chemnitz, which has been selected as the 2025 European Capital of Culture -- the fourth city in eastern Germany to receive the title. As Saxony's third-largest city, Chemnitz is an important cultural cooperation partner for Estonia. The Estonian delegation includes Mayor of Tartu Urmas Klaas, representing his city, which held the title of European Capital of Culture in 2024. The delegation will also visit the exhibition "European Realities," which focuses on the society and art of 1920s-1930s Europe through the lens of realism and features works by Estonian artists in cooperation with the Art Museum of Estonia.

The president also plans to visit the soon-to-be-completed Skeleton Technologies factory near Leipzig.

The business delegation accompanying the president includes representatives from Insta Globe Engineering, Gofore Estonia, Praktikal Education, Proekspert, NOTE Pärnu, CGI Estonia, Net Group, Skeleton Technologies, Nortal, ADM Interactive, the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce, and the Estonian Business and Innovation Agency.

The cultural delegation includes representatives from Eesti Kontsert, the Estonian Center for Contemporary Art, the Art Museum of Estonia, the Estonian Literature Center, the University of Tartu Library, the University of Tartu, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn University, the Estonian Academy of Arts, the Arvo Pärt Center, the Estonian Museum of Applied Art and Design, Art&Tonic Gallery, Music Estonia, the Tartu Art Museum, Theater Junge Generation, and the Ministry of Culture.

The head of state will return to Estonia late on the evening of May 8.