On 24 November 2023, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Krišjānis Kariņš, took part the 29th Baltic Council in Tallinn.
Addressing the Baltic Council delegates, the Minister expressed his gratitude to Estonia for its successful presidency of the Baltic Council of Ministers and the Baltic Assembly. Krišjānis Kariņš praised the Baltic Assembly for its long-standing contribution to the common goals of the Baltic states.
“Support to Ukraine and efforts to hold Russia accountable, regional security and cooperation in border protection, countering hybrid attacks, development of energy and transport infrastructure are the main priorities of the Baltic states,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed.
Krišjānis Kariņš thanked Lithuania and Estonia for their support to Latvia in the face of the growing illegal migration flows at the border. “In the current geopolitical situation, cooperation between the Baltic states in internal affairs is extremely important. Elements of hybrid warfare are being used against our countries to increase tensions in the region. Let us remain vigilant and continue to work in close coordination,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs said.
At the end of the 29th Baltic Council, the President of the Baltic Assembly, Timo Suslov, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, signed a joint statement on the most important issues for Baltic cooperation this year and priorities for 2024.
The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Estonia also attended the award ceremony of the Languages Award of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Estonia. This year, the Languages Award was awarded to the publishing house Hea Lugu for the Latvian poetry anthology Introvertide Ball, which was published in 2022. “The Languages Award is an important tradition in Latvian-Estonian relations, and this year it is being awarded for the fourteenth time. By promoting interest in each other's language and culture, mutual understanding and friendly relations are strengthened,” said Krišjānis Kariņš in his congratulatory speech. The Minister emphasised that the publication of the anthology Introvertide Ball in Estonian is an important event in the relations and cultural life of Latvia and Estonia – the previous and only anthology since regaining independence was published in 1997.
Information
The Baltic Council of Ministers (BCM) is a cooperation body of the Latvian, Lithuanian and Estonian governments, established on 13 June 1994. The task of BCM is to ensure the continuity of cooperation at the level of the national executive powers. The Presidency of the BCM among the Baltic states changes every year. The Baltic Council is a joint meeting of the Baltic Assembly (BA) and the BCM Cooperation Council, during which the Chairman of the Cooperation Council (Minister of Foreign Affairs of the country holding the Presidency) reports on the work done during the year. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of the incoming Presidency, in turn, informs about the priorities and planned activities of the next Presidency, which are included in the joint statement of the Baltic Council. The Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Baltic states serve on the BCM Cooperation Council. The Council is responsible for the overall coordination of cooperation between the Baltic states. This year, Estonia holds the Presidency of the BCM and the BA, and in 2024 Lithuania will hold the Presidency.
The Languages Award of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Estonia (formerly known as the Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian Translation Award) has been awarded since 2010. The aim of the award is to strengthen bilateral cooperation between the two countries by promoting the learning and use of Latvian and Estonian languages, the activity of Latvian-Estonian and Estonian-Latvian translators in translating fiction, political, scientific and other texts, as well as to promote the contribution of Latvian and Estonian language researchers and language teachers to the promotion of the Latvian language in Estonia and the Estonian language in Latvia. The Languages Award is worth EUR 3000 and is funded by equal contributions from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Latvia and Estonia. The anthology Introvertide Ball contains poetry by 18 Latvian poets, selected and translated into Estonian by the poets Contra (Margus Konnula) and Miks Viesturs Grīns.
