Estonian president to pay working visit to Latvia, Lithuania next week

TALLINN - Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid is to embark on a working visit to Riga on Tuesday from where she will head to Vilnius on the same evening.

The visits will come as the three Baltic states mark the 100th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, and the objective of the visits is to maintain interactions between the states and strengthen cooperation.

"Due to our location and shared history, Latvia and Lithuania are and will always be our closest friends. Our nations have been residing side by side on the shores of the Baltic Sea  and interacting with one another for thousands of years. We share a vision of the security and future of the region as well as of Europe. While the 100th anniversary of our diplomatic relations is a symbolic and formal moment meriting celebration, we additionally always have a number of practical issues which we can and need to discuss together," Lauri Kuusing, foreign policy adviser to the president, said.

The Estonian president's visit will focus on meetings with her Latvian and Lithuanian counterparts. For the purpose of mitigating coronavirus-related risks, the meetings will be held in accordance with the rules and recommendations by the corresponding states' competent institutions. The head of state is scheduled to return to Estonia on Wednesday evening.