Estonian Ambassador Addresses Annapolis International Club

Estonian Ambassador to the United States Kristjan Prikk was the featured speaker for the January 5 dinner event held by the International Club of Annapolis, Maryland.  The club holds monthly dinners with speakers from September through June.  Since its founding in 1962, it has hosted presentations by ambassadors from over 115 countries and regions throughout the globe, including five ambassadors from Estonia to the U.S. since 1990, highlighting the special relationship between Estonia and Maryland as National Guard State Partnership Program partners and the sister city relationships between several cities throughout Maryland and Estonia.

Ambassador Kristjan Prikk

Ambassador Prikk shared many insights about Estonia and Estonians, the country’s history, and its foreign policy.  He noted that preserving nature is a priority there and that many western Europeans visit Estonia to experience what has been lost in their countries, namely nature and solitude.  When asked about the top three places to visit, old town Tallinn came first for its uniquely preserved medieval walls and buildings.  He also affirmed Tallinn as the site of the first documented Christmas tree (although Estonia’s Latvian neighbors would say it was Riga).  Narva came next because its proximity to Russia “makes people get what’s at stake” and helps visitors better understand the cultural differences and issues of Russian speakers in Estonia.  Finally, he recommended Tartu for its university that predates Harvard and its thriving, youthful, European atmosphere.  He also shared statistics on the success of Estonia as a digital nation, which are shown in the photo below. 

Slide courtesy of the Estonian Embassy in Washington

He explained Estonia’s “tragic mistake” of staying out of conflict, which has influenced the nation’s decisions and priorities today.  Because Estonians have historically tended to avoid conflict, particularly during the interwar years of independence, few nations came to their aid when they needed it.  Estonia’s foreign policy now emphasizes supporting others as an active ally so that they will get support should they need it in the future.  Membership in NATO and robust participation in NATO missions are cornerstones of Estonia’s security policy and the contribution of its defense forces is recognized and commended among its allies.

The ambassador praised U.S. support in the form of high-level visits and cooperation with Estonian forces.  He noted the United States’ recognition of independence of all three Baltic nations on July 28, 1922, and the subsequent establishment of diplomatic relations, making 2022 the centennial year for formal U.S. – Estonia ties. He estimated that there are 25,000 Americans with roots in Estonia, 10,000 of whom strongly identify as Estonian.

Given the current buildup of Russian troops on Ukraine’s border and upcoming talks with Russia, several audience members asked about Estonia’s position on that conflict.  Ambassador Prikk began his response with the story of a poll in 2006 or 2007 by the Ukrainian government asking its citizens about their thoughts on joining NATO.  When the question was posed using NATO as an acronym, 20% of Ukrainians were for and 80% were against Ukraine becoming a NATO member.  When North Atlantic Treaty Organization was spelled out, the percentages reversed, perhaps implying that joining a north Atlantic alliance sounded good, but awareness of what NATO actually stood for was low or misunderstood.

EANC’s Karin Shuey with Ambassador Prikk

He went on to indicate that Estonia strongly supports Ukraine’s sovereignty and that negotiations or concessions “at gunpoint” are not valid.  All issues related to European security are on the table at the same time, including Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea and its occupation of eastern Ukraine, Georgia, and Moldova.  Estonia will engage fully in support of Ukraine during January’s talks with Russia at NATO and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and continue to stand by Ukraine as the situation evolves.

Please also see the Embassy of Estonia’s press release on Ambassador Prikk’s presentation at washington.mfa.ee.  More information on the relationship between Estonia and Maryland is available on the Maryland Estonia Exchange Council website at marylandestoniaexchangecouncil.org.  EANC will continue to attend their events and keep readers informed on activities of interest.

Opportunity for Baltic Americans to Support Ukrainian and Baltic Security

In the week leading up to the discussions taking place in Europe January 10-13 regarding Ukraine’s security and Western relations with Russia, Baltic Americans and the broader diaspora communities from central and eastern Europe have issued statements, letters, and calls to action to let U.S. policymakers know our concerns. The Estonian American National Council has been actively supporting and promoting these efforts.

Estonian American voters still have the opportunity to participate in the American Latvian Association’s latest call to action to contact the White House and Members of Congress (MoCs).  The initiative calls out Russian President Putin’s revanchist agenda to restore the Cold War “spheres of influence” through its threats to Ukraine. It also encourages support for appropriations for robust security assistance for Ukraine and the Baltic countries, which has already been authorized in the Defense budget, and for existing legislation that protects European energy security.

EANC and the Joint Baltic American National Committee invite constituents to visit jbanc.org and use the sample letters posted there to email your Senators and Representative.  Please also see the Senate NATO Observer Group’s January 10 letter to the White House and include a thank you if your Senator is a member.  The letter is published on the group’s co-chairs’ websites at shaheen.senate.gov under News/Press Releases and rubio.senate.gov under Newsroom for January 10. The JBANC page has a link to the Baltic Call to Action Unit, where you can sign up to receive personalized templates with direct links to your MoCs  and all the information you need to support Baltic and transatlantic security.  The unit releases initiatives quarterly on issues critical U.S.-Baltic relations and security. 

Several of our partner organizations have raised their voices in support of Ukraine recently.  EANC’s Washington, DC Director Karin Shuey drafted the statement issued by the Central and East European Coalition, which is posted at ceecadvocacy.org.  JBANC sent a letter to the White House to highlight the importance of effective U.S. policy during the meetings taking place in Europe, which is also posted on its website.  The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America and the Polish American Congress also wrote urgent and compelling appeals to the White House to protect Ukrainian independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, along with the democratic values shared by Western partners and allies, as the Administration continues its leadership in talks regarding European security.  Ensuring that no decisions about European security are made without participation by all of the nations concerned remained an important theme throughout these letters and statements.

Q&A with Dr. Farkas

Washington think tanks have also been vocal in their analysis of the Kremlin’s threats to Ukraine and stability in Europe.  The Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) has published several relevant articles in recent weeks.  Notable authors include Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Kurt Volker, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, and Edward Lucas, all of whom are good friends of the Baltic and central and east European diaspora communities.  Their analysis can be found at cepa.org/analysis/europes-edge.   The Atlantic Council held an event on January 6 titled What is Russia’s Endgame in Ukraine? that featured retired General Wesley Clark, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Evelyn Farkas, and former senior Ukrainian defense official Oleksandr Danyliuk.  EANC’s Karin Shuey asked if the Baltic nations should be concerned about the implications of the January talks, which Dr. Farkas answered with a decisive, “Yes, absolutely.” She noted that Putin will continue to use incursions into the Baltics to test NATO’s resolve and push the alliance to determine what defines an Article 5 attack that NATO members would be bound to defend.  The video of this event is posted at atlanticcouncil.org under Events/Upcoming events/Past.

EANC will closely monitor the discussions taking place in Geneva, Brussels, and Vienna and will keep our readers informed of significant developments and ways they can help protect Ukrainian, Baltic, and transatlantic security, and the democratic institutions on which it is based.