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The President of the Republic will word the priorities of Estonia24.01.2002
Tonight, at a forum organized by the Paasikivi Society and the Tuglas Society at Helsinki University, President Arnold Rüütel will deliver a lecture announcing the national priorities of Estonia for both the near and the more distant future. So, the title of the President's lecture will be ''The Priorities of Estonia.''
According to President Rüütel, the most important priority of Estonia is and will remain guaranteeing of conditions for the existence of the people and state. For Estonia, living at the boundary between different civilisations and amidst severe nature, there are no alternatives. The rest of the priorities, including building civil society and welfare state, result from and support the principal one. At the same time, Estonian society is expecting socio-political decisions capable of changing the quality of life in such a way that every person, regardless of being young or old, rich or poor, healthy or ill, had the possibility to feel himself dignified. Achieving this very kind of the quality of life President Rüütel regards as one of the major domestic endeavours of Estonia in the near future.
The Head of State also will deal with the so-called external priorities, summarizing them in the following way: ''It is a duty of Estonia as a nation to be a reliable partner in the international system of division of labour and guaranteeing security.'' As our present-day aspirations, the President highlights the forthcoming accessions to the European Union and NATO expressing, at the same time, his support to a confederative union and regional co-operation. The ideas of Balto-Scandia created by Edgar Kant, an Estonian economic geographer, might support us in a united Europe too, because Estonia via the so-called bridge to Finland is a Nordic country but, speaking figuratively, our roots are in the Baltic region. Our position between the Scandinavian and the Baltic States enables just Estonia to be the trailblazer in the regional co-operation of Balto-Scandia and thus, also in the future European Union.
Summing up, President Rüütel notes, that involving small nations into international structures of co-operation will essentially contribute to the deepening of dialogue between nations.
Press Service of the Office of President
Kadriorg, January 24, 2002
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