Presidents Kersti Kaljulaid and Alexander Van der Bellen and their partners in Vienna on May 26.
Source: Office of the President of the Republic of Estonia

President Kersti Kaljulaid was on an official visit to Austria on May 26, meeting with that country's head of state on the occasion of 100 years of bilateral relations between the two states.

The president also took part in a panel discussion with her Austrian counterpart the next morning, which can be viewed online.

The president said on her social media account that the visit was a special one.

"There are not many countries in the world whose president is Estonian, but Austria is one of them," she wrote.

Austrian President  Alexander Van der Bellen's mother was Estonian while his father became a naturalized Estonian citizen in 1934, during the period of the First Estonian Republic.

Both fled the Soviet occupation, settling in Vienna, where President Van der Bellen was born in 1944. He was last on an official visit to Estonia in 2018.

"Today, in addition to meeting with President Van der Bellen, I have met many people and discussed a lot of things.

The purpose of the visit is to increase cooperation between the two countries, especially regarding the digital and green revolutions, and to mark the centenary of diplomatic relations."

The Estonian president's foreign advisor, Lauri Kuusing, said ahead of the trip that: "Estonia has already achieved the digital transition and is happy to share the experiences with other countries."

"Austria on the other hand is one of the more advanced countries in the EU when it comes to climate ambitions and green transition.

By combining our knowledge and experience we can jointly offer smart and sustainable solutions.

This is also why many Estonian companies are interested in the Austrian market and Austrian partners," Kuusing said.

VES/ERR News