January 11, 2016 — Tallinn, Estonia
An AJC leadership delegation just concluded a two-day visit to Estonia.
The five-member group, led by AJC Executive Director David Harris, met with senior government officials, including Prime Minister Taavi Roivas, President of the Parliament Eiki Nestor, and Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand. The visit also included discussions with the U.S. Ambassador and leaders of the Jewish Community of Estonia, with which AJC has maintained a longstanding association agreement.
Among the principal topics discussed were: (a) Marking 25 years of Western recognition of the restoration of Estonian independence; (b) Estonian-U.S. relations; (c) Estonian-Israeli bilateral ties; (d) the ongoing refugee flow into the European Union and its wider implications; and (e) the regional security situation facing Estonia.
“Twenty-five years after AJC first called for U.S. recognition of Baltic independence, we visited Estonia to reaffirm our friendship with this important NATO ally and EU Member State," said Harris, who had previously visited Estonia several times. “We were impressed by the significant technological advances in all spheres of the democratic society, and heartened by the warmth expressed by senior officials for strong ties between Estonia and Israel."
AJC engages with Estonian diplomats across the U.S. and Europe, and the global Jewish advocacy organization meets with senior Estonian officials each year on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
In August 1991, AJC was the first major Jewish organization in the world to call for American recognition of the reestablishment of Baltic independence for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Moreover, AJC later helped lead the effort to support the expansion of NATO membership to the three nations, and welcomed their full integration into the EU in 2004.
