Ilves pays a working visit to the United States

TALLINN – President Toomas Hendrik Ilves today started his working visit to the United States, which will mostly focus on the issues of cyber security and trans-Atlantic relations, writes Postimees Online.

The Estonian Head of State will give a speech at the round table convened for discussing strategic cyber issues in the U.S. Department of State. The round table discussion will be held by the top-level executives of U.S. Government authorities on the matter of cyber security and representatives of the Estonian Information System’s Authority.

Ilves will meet with the White House cyber security coordinator Howard Schmidt as well as with the advisor of the U.S. Secretary of State in the matters of information technology Alec Ross in Washington.

“Estonia’s experiences prove that a modern successful State means freedom of expression and freedom of media, the supremacy of laws, curbing of corruption, inclusion of the civic society and all that is crucial for democracy and for the rule of law,” said president Ilves at the opening discussion on “Open Governance Partnership” last September during the 66th UN General Assembly session in New York.

The Estonian head of State will give a public lecture on international cyber security in the Harvard University in Boston and will also take part in the dinner in honor of Henry Kissinger.

Ilves will also give a speech at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on e-Governance and cyber security. In the German Marshall Fund, the Estonian President will take part in a round table discussion under the title “Global Europe: Game Over?”

From the United States, Ilves will fly to Warsaw, to attend a meeting of the presidents of the Baltic States and of Poland upon the invitation of the Polish president Bronislaw Komorowski.

Ilves will return to Estonia on April 17.