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President Alar Karis and EU Ambassadors attended a lunch organized by the Czech Embassy

The year is coming to an end, and this also means that the Czech Republic will soon pass on the baton of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. In order to summarize the soon-to-be-ending Presidency, the Czech Embassy organized a business lunch for EU Ambassadors on Wednesday, December 14, where the President of Estonia, H. E. Mr Alar Karis, participated as the guest of honour.

Previous meetings have been attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H. E. Mr Urmas Reinsalu and the Estonian Prime Minister, H. E. Ms Kaja Kallas. This time the meeting gave an excellent opportunity to reflect on the year soon behind us. As President Karis stated in his speech, the year will go down in history as a very dark one, marked by Russia's aggression in Ukraine, the energy crisis and the general increase in the cost of living. In connection with this, the Ambassadors had the opportunity to ask questions and start a joint discussion, which led to a rich exchange of views on various topical issues. The continued support of Ukraine, Russian aggression, the situation with war refugees, European unity, military and energy security, the importance of NATO enlargement and much more were brought up for discussion.

Ambassador Král during the discussion with President Alar Karis

Ambassador Král during the discussion with President Alar Karis

At the same time, it was also looked into the future – what will be the challenges and goals of 2023. Of course, among other things, the upcoming Riigikogu elections in March were also discussed. Speaking about life in Estonia, President Karis emphasized the need to use all means to ensure the promotion of people's education, both for children and adults. He also considered the topic of mental health very important, especially the mental health of young people.

President Karis thanked the Czech Republic for its effective Presidency of the Council of the European Union during this complicated time, reminding also how important it is to stick together in such difficult times. As he said, the unity and decisiveness of the European Union will also be of determing importance in the future, in order to resist Russian aggression and help Ukraine win the war. To this end, he encouraged the EU member states to increase their defence spending and emphasized the extreme importance of NATO enlargement for the security of not only Europe, but the entire world.

The rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union will end for the Czech Republic at the end of this year, as the baton of the Presidency will be handed over to Sweden on January 1, 2023.

Ambassador Král during the discussion with President Alar Karis

Ambassador Král during the discussion with President Alar Karis

The lunch was attended by representatives of 23 countries.

The lunch was attended by representatives of 23 countries.