Overview of worldwide bilateral relations Northern America, Western and Southern Europe In 2004, the bilateral relations between Estonia and the UNITED STATES were highly dynamic and fruitful. First of all, it should be mentioned that on 29 March, the Estonian Prime Minister together with the Heads of Government of other acceding countries deposited Estonia’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation accession protocol with the Government of the United States. Together with the leaders of the other acceding coun- tries, Prime Minister Parts met with Secretary of State Colin Powell and President George W. Bush. The importance of this event and the role of the United States in the enlarge- ment of NATO cannot be overestimated. The good relations between Estonia and the United States were also confirmed by the visit of a US Senate delegation led by Senator John McCain. At their meetings with the Estonian leaders, the Senators voiced their appreciation of Estonia’s successful inte- gration in transatlantic and European structures. The Senators also expressed their appreciation of the Estonian military contingent serving in Iraq. In November, Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Jones visited Estonia for political consultations at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence and the Riigikogu. There was also some progress in economic relations. In December, a meeting between the leaders of US companies situated in Europe and the Baltic political and business leaders was held in London. The Estonian delegation was headed by Prime Minister Juhan Parts. The partnership between Estonia and the United States was also strengthened through EPINE (Enhanced Partnership in Northern Europe) cooperation projects, which aim to develop cooperation in the region and to promote democracy in the neighbouring countries. CANADA has had a special place in the hearts and minds of the Estonians since the 1950s. The reason for this is the fact that Canada provided shelter and work for thousands of Estonian refugees who left their homes during the last years of the Second World War to escape the second Soviet occupation. 43 2004 ESTONIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS YEARBOOK In 2004, Estonia and Canada continued their development assistance cooperation. On 16 April, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed by the two countries which allows to finance trilateral assistance projects within ODACE (Official Development Assistance in Central Europe) Owing to the distance between Canada and Estonia, it is natural that bilateral visits are not very frequent. Chairman of the Riigikogu Ene Ergma paid an unofficial visit to Toronto from 5-6 June 2004 to attend the celebration of the 120th anniversary of the Estonian National Flag, organised by the Estonian community in North America. In 2004, the first official visit of an Estonian Head of Government to the UNITED KINGDOM since the restoration of Estonia’s independence took place. During the visit, which took place from 17-20 October Prime Minister Juhan Parts met with Prime Minister Tony Blair, Foreign Minister Jack Straw and Defence Minister Geoffrey Hoon. At the meeting between the two Prime Ministers, the economic reforms, the Lisbon strat- egy and the EU’s financial perspective were the main discussion topics. At the initiative of the Estonian side, the European neighbourhood policy, issues related to Russia and Iraq were also discussed. Prime Minister Juhan Parts also met with the Lord Mayor of London, Robert Finch and the Director General of the Confederation of British Industry, Digby Jones. He also paid a visit to the Parliament. Prior to the meetings in London, Prime Minister Juhan Parts visited Scotland where he had meetings with Scottish politi- cians and delivered a speech at Glasgow University. The most prominent visit from the UK to Estonia was that of the Lord Mayor of London Robert Finch. In connection with the Irish EU Presidency in the first half of 2004, a considerable num- ber of working visits where exchanged with IRELAND, i.a. the visits by Prime Minister Juhan Parts (February, May), Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland (April, May). Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern visited Estonia in May. Political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs took place in November. Alongside the extensive political contacts, the cultural exchange was also impressive. In connection with the European Union accession, the Estonian Philharmonic Society Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra performed in Galway and Dublin on 1 May. Other Estonian artists also performed in the framework of the “accession pro- gramme”. At the same time a number of top-level Irish artists performed in Estonia. The most important event in the relations with GERMANY was the meeting between Chancellor Schröder and Prime Minister Parts in Bremen in conjunction with the return of a painting by Albrecht Dürer and its presentation to the public. The meeting and the din- ner of the two Heads of Governments were characterised by openness and trustfulness. 44 2004 OVERVIEW OF WORLDWIDE BILATERAL RELATIONS Of great symbolic value was the visit of the newly elected Federal President Horst Köhler from 23-24 November. The Federal President’s visit was a part of his tour of the Baltic countries and as this was his first visit abroad it was of great significance for the new member states. The visit underlined Germany’s continued interest in this part of Europe and the destiny of small countries. As a part of the regular agenda, the annual 3+1 meeting between the Baltic Foreign Ministers and Germany took place on 1 December in the Estonian resort town Pärnu. Topical issues of the EU and the world at large were discussed. Although no exchange of top-level visits took place in 2004 between Estonia and AUSTRIA, there was a number of important working visits. From the Estonian side Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland, Chairman of the Riigikogu Ene Ergma, Minister of Finance Taavi Veskimägi and Minister of Internal Affairs Margus Leivo all paid working visits to Austria. At the same time Austrian Federal Minister of the Interior Ernst Strasser paid a visit to Estonia to familiarise himself with the respective Estonian structures. The most important event in Estonia’s relations with SWITZERLAND was President Arnold Rüütel’s official working visit to the Swiss Confederation from 17-19 May 2004. The President met with the President of the Confederation Joseph Deiss and Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey. The main topics discussed were bilateral relations, the European Union and various issues of international politics. As with the other EU member states, the relations with BELGIUM continued to be active and became even livelier in 2004. One of the most notable events in the bilateral rela- tions took place on 21 October when the first ever Belgian Ambassador to Estonia, resid- ing in Tallinn, Pierre Clément Dubuisson presented his credentials to President Arnold Rüütel. President Arnold Rüütel paid a visit to Belgium in May, during which he opened the new Estonian Mission to the EU. At the practical political level, the security policy consultations that took place between Estonia and Belgium on 19 May deserve a special mention. Estonia’s cooperation with Belgian regions is a special feature of the bilateral relations. In November 2004, the Estonian-Walloon joint committee prepared a cooperation programme for 2005-2007, as a logical follow-up to a similar programme signed in December 2001. As is the case with most EU member states, the mutual interest in increased business contacts grew during the year 2004. During the preparations for the EU Presidency (July-December 2004), the NETHERLANDS pursued a very active Europe policy and visits were paid to both the member states and the acceding states. In April, Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende paid a visit to Estonia just a few days before Estonia’s accession. The Dutch Prime Minister had meetings with 45 2004 ESTONIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS YEARBOOK Estonian leaders and familiarised himself with the country. At the same time, he pre- sented his country’s vision and priorities for the Presidency. During talks with Estonian leaders it became obvious that the visions of the two coun- tries concerning the priorities of the EU in 2004 were much the same – competitiveness, employment and the promotion of economic growth. In addition to the Prime Minister, a number of other important members of the govern- ment paid visits to Estonia in 2004, like Minister of Defence Henk Kamp, Minister for European Affairs Atzo Nicolaï and others. Generally speaking, it may be said that in 2004 more Dutch ministers and politicians visited Estonia than during all the preceding years. In 2004, bilateral relations with FRANCE were very lively and friendly. During the year several high-level visits took place. The most prominent of those were the working visits of Prime Minister Juhan Parts, the participation of Defence Minister Margus Hanson in NATO enlargement events and his meeting with the French Minister of Defence Michèle Alliot-Marie, and the visit of the Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee . Security policy consultations between the two countries took place in the end of October. From the French side Defence Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie, Minister of Transport Gilles de Robien, Minister for European Affairs Claudie Haigneré and other prominent French politicians and civil servants visited Estonia during 2004. In 2004, trade between the two countries continued to grow. For Estonia, the trade bal- ance continued to be negative. France was Estonia’s 13th trading partner. Relations with GREECE in 2004 can be characterised as “business as usual”. When speak- ing of high-level contacts, it should be noted that the Olympic Games in Athens, which required enormous efforts from the nation, left a distinct mark not only on internal affairs, but also on Greece’s international contacts. Before the Olympics, Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland paid a visit to Athens on 15 June, primarily in connection with her candidacy for the post of Secretary General of the Council of Europe.