The President of the Republic met with Swedish leaders in Stockholm
Thursday, 30 November 2006 11:52
At President Toomas Hendrik Ilves’s meetings today with the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister for EU Affairs, the discussions focused on developments in the European Union and the alliance’s neighborhood.
“We have the same positions as Sweden regarding almost all questions related to the European Union,” said the Estonian Head of State at the press conference following his meeting with Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt.
With Per Westerberg, the Speaker of the Swedish Parliament, President Ilves spoke, among other things, about the region’s energy security, including the Russian-German gas pipeline planned for the Baltic Sea, about which the Foreign Commission of the Riksdag plans to organize a public hearing.
“We have both security and environmental concerns regarding the pipeline,” said the Estonian Head of State.
The Speaker of the Riksdag felt that closer parliamentary cooperation between the European Union countries is important for solving the alliance’s internal issues.
In discussing relations between the European Union and Russia, President Ilves and Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt found that using energy carriers and energy prices for political pressure is not permissible and trade agreements-like, for instance WTO rules-must be fulfilled exactly.
At the meeting with the King of Sweden Carl XVI Gustaf, President Ilves invited him to the commemoration of the 375th anniversary of the University of Tartu next year.
The Estonian Head of State also visited the Stockholm Estonian School, which was established in 1945, and which is attended by 179 students. Before flying back to Tallinn, President Ilves met with local Estonians at the Stockholm Estonian House, which gathers together the Estonian central organizations active in Sweden.
Public Relations Department of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, 30 November 2006