President Kersti Kaljulaid Arrives in Antarctica
President Kersti Kaljulaid reached King George Island in Antarctica on January 21 making her the first Estonian head of state to visit the continent. Kaljulaid visited several science stations and participated in events commemorating the 200th anniversary of the discovery of Antarctica, or its ice shelf, by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen, a Captain in the Imperial Russian Navy at the time, and a Baltic German native of Saaremaa. The Estonian-led expedition on the 24-metre Dutch-built ketch the "Admiral Bellingshausen" to retrace the explorer's journey 200 years ago, departed from Tallinn in July 2019 and arrived in Antarctica earlier this month.

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Published: January 26 2020

Indrek Lepson

Ei tea kuhu viivad mind saatuse tiivad,
ja maha jäävad kodumaa rannad ja liivad.

Tens of thousands fled  Soviet terrorism as it swept into Estonia, and there are an equal number of stories, and memories, of the dangers of their journey to freedom. Sadly, few of those stories have been written down, to remind the latter generations what their antecedents chose to risk so that they could live in a free country, whichever one they chose to settle in.

I have written mine, which I have titled “Against All Odds”. It’s actually a trilogy: our escape, our stay in Sweden, and our departure from there in 1948, on a 72-foot old fishing trawler with 69 people; a journey of 59 days, surviving two storms, that nearly ended our journey.

If interested I will forward it. My email is  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

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Published: January 26 2020

A joint platform for sharing cyber threat intelligence will be built by Estonia and the United States to enhance the cyber defence capabilities of both countries and exchange information.

The platform will be used to automate the exchange of data for cyber threats. The system will be developed by Cybernetica and procured by the Estonian Centre for Defence Investment.

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Published: January 19 2020

Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu discussed the urgent need to ease tensions in the Middle East with Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarifi in New Delhi, India on January 15th.

Reinsalu expressed concern over Iran's destabilising steps in the region and called for refraining from such actions.

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Published: January 19 2020

The New York Estonian House will have a week-long art exhibit on Feb 22-29, 2020. There will be an opening party on Sunday, February 23rd, and a closing/dismount LEAP YEAR party on February 29th.

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Published: January 19 2020

Finnish PM's First Visit to Estonia

Finland's new prime minister Sanna Marin made her first official visit to Estonia on January 10. Marin met with Prime Minister Jüri Ratas at Stenbock House on Toompea Hill where they spoke at a joint press conference. It was Marin's first official visit to Estonia and the second official visit she has made as prime minister after being sworn into office in December. Her first visit was to Sweden earlier last week.

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Published: January 19 2020

Layers of time colliding – the 3 hommiku/maa targad, biblical Magi or Wise Men/Kings from the East arrived in what Estonians, like Italians call Firenze (Florence) on January 6th this past week. Dressed in Renaissance era clothing, as when the “Cavalcata dei Magi” (Cavalcade or Procession of the Magi) tradition began here in 1417, lords and ladies, falconers and others, led by drummers, the gift bearers (seen here) and the three kings on horseback, now pass by designer shops such as Chanel and Fossil. The procession ends in the Piazza del Duomo where a live Tarkade kummardamine (Adoration of the Magi) plays out in front of the theatrical nativity scene.  Photo: Anu Hint

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Published: January 14 2020

In 1944, thousands of Estonians escaped invading Russia by migrating across the seas to Sweden, Finland, and beyond. Few have memory of this today—but those who do vividly remember all the little details: the smell of the boat, the taste of the bread... With this in mind, photographer Maria Spann set out to capture these particular memories through the eyes of those who endured this migration, and the objects they brought with them. Each set of photographs tells a story: of memory, of loss, and of new beginnings.

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Published: January 14 2020