Overview of bilateral relations North America, Western and Southern Europe The excellent state of relations between Estonia and the United States of America was confi rmed by many occasions during 2008. On the multilateral level, the co-operation between the two states was refl ected by joint actions aimed at ensuring security in Afghanistan and Iraq. We share similar views on the issues of NATO enlargement and enhancing security in Europe. During the Georgian confl ict, the similar views of Estonia and the US on defending common values were especially clearly highlighted. US Secre- tary of Defence Robert Gates attended the meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council that was held in Tallinn in November. Of visits held in 2008, one should highlight the working visit of President Toomas Hendrik Ilves to the US in April, where he met with US Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and also attended the Baltic Gala, a charitable event hosted by the United States-Baltic Foundation (USBF). The presidential visit was completed with a trip to Florida, where he gave a speech at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Juhan Parts, Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, was also on a working visit to the US in April, during which he visited the famous informa- tion technology centre Silicon Valley and established contacts with local enterprises. The dynamics of Estonia-US economic relations are characterised by the fact that there is now an offi ce of Enterprise Estonia, a bridgehead of Estonian business in the US, located in the tech incubator of Silicon Valley. The opening of such an offi ce is an indi- cation that the co-operation between the companies of both countries will soon reach a new level and demonstrates that the Estonian IT industry has the potential to be a part of the global processes of this industry. A co-operation agreement was signed in De- cember for promoting bilateral co-operation in the fi eld of research and development. The relations between Estonia and the US are based on a strong foundation that has taken years to be laid and that became even stronger in 2008. As a proof of improving bilateral communication, the US included citizens of Estonia in its Visa Waiver Pro- gramme starting on 17 November 2008. Successful implementation of this programme required active and productive co-operation from both countries throughout the whole year. In connection with that, Justice Minister Rein Lang and Interior Minister Jüri Pihl visited Washington in September to sign a bilateral agreement on co-operation in preventing serious crimes as one of the preconditions for joining the Visa Waiver Programme. Michael Chertoff, US Secretary for Homeland Security, visited Estonia in April and October to discuss visa freedom issues. 115 2008 / 2009 ESTONIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS YEARBOOK The anniversary of the Republic of Estonia was celebrated with a variety of events on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. The Tõnu Naissoo Quartet and vocal ensemble Noorkuu introduced Estonian music in New York, Washington and elsewhere. The Singing Revolution, the documentary on how Estonians sang their way to freedom, which was produced by Americans Jim and Maureen Tusty, was shown in US cinemas and was extremely well received by audiences, drawing raving praise from US fi lm critics. The peak of bilateral relations between Estonia and Canada in 2008 was the work- ing visit of President Toomas Hendrik Ilves to Canada in May. Both the offi cial part of the visit and meetings with the Estonian community took place in a very open and cordial atmosphere. The President visited Canada in connection with the annual meeting of Canada’s Baltic Society, where he was the keynote speaker. The President also had meetings with Canada’s defence minister, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Peter van Loan, and speakers of both houses of the Parliament. The Canadian Governor General is expected to visit Estonia in 2009. Estonia and the United Kingdom continued active co-operation in the framework of both the European Union and NATO in 2008. The two countries share the same positions on most issues in the EU, which is why Estonia and the UK have become long-term allies in developing EU policies. Bilateral relations in 2008 peaked with the visit of President Toomas Hendrik Ilves to Wales and London in October. The President met with HM Queen Elizabeth II, made a speech in the Welsh Assembly, met with First Minister of Wales Rhodri Morgan, and attended several events as the patron of Walestonia, a cultural festival dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia. In London, the President met the leader of the opposition David Came- ron and made a public speech in the London School of Economics as part of the academic series European Security Architecture – A Paradigm Shift? President Ilves also presented the opening speech at business seminars in Wales and London, and visited Estonian soldiers who were undergoing rehabilitation treatment in the Headley Court Rehabilitation Centre. In the fi eld of other bilateral visits, Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Paet visited his counterpart, Foreign Secretary David Miliband, in London in March. Mr Miliband wel- comed the Estonian initiative to set up a group of EU Member States that were contribut- ing to the peacekeeping effort in the southern part of Afghanistan. The issues discussed at the meeting included NATO reforms and enlargement, as well as EU-Russia relations. In addition to joint operations in Southern Afghanistan, one of the outcomes of our bilateral defence co-operation was the procurement of minesweepers. All three minesweeping vessels ordered from the UK have by now been delivered to Estonia. At the end of the year, Tallinn was called by the HMS Edinburgh to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the arrival of the Royal Navy to Tallinn, when they came to assist Estonia in securing independence. 116 OVERVIEW OF BILATERAL RELATIONS 2008 / 2009 Estonian cultural events in the UK in 2008 were dominated by the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia, which culminated, as noted above, with the Walestonia festival in Wales. Some events were also organised in Scotland and in other parts of the country. Of the numerous cultural events, mention should be made of two musical performances – the Estonian TV Girls’ Choir performed the concert series Musical Gift in October and the ensemble Vox Clamantis did a UK concert tour in February. As part of the anniversary celebrations, Estonian Minister of Education and Science Tõnis Lukas visited London in February and met with the British Deputy Secretary of Education Lord Andrew Adonis. The two ministers discussed the use of modern information technology in education, integration, and other issues. The bilateral relations between Estonia and Germany in 2008 were highlighted by the high number of visits. The most noteworthy of them was the visit of Federal Chan- cellor Angela Merkel to Tallinn in August. The meetings of the chancellor with the Estonian president and prime minister focused on the events that unfolded in August in Georgia. In the speech she made in KUMU Art Museum, Angela Merkel noted that the EU’s partnership relations with other countries can only be based on joint values, such as adhering to the principles of human rights, democracy, and rule of law. Relations with Europe’s neighbours were also discussed during the visit of Prime Minister Andrus Ansip to Berlin from 11–12 March, in the course of which the PM attended a festive reception dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Republic of Estonia in the representation of Baden-Württemberg and in the Embassy of Estonia in Berlin. In October, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves was on a working visit in Berlin, where he met with Federal President Horst Köhler and made a public speech in Humboldt University titled Melos on my Mind: Europe After the End of the Post 1991 Settlement that discussed the changed security situation after the Russian-Georgian war in August, the roles of NATO and EU in strengthening democracy, and Estonia’s foreign policy experiences, interests and values in international relations. Foreign Minister Urmas Paet exchanged views with his German colleague Mr Frank- Walter Steinmeier twice during 2008: on 20 May there was a traditional meeting of the foreign ministers of the three Baltic states and Germany (3+1) in Riga that discussed the issues of Europe’s future and European Neighbourhood Policy. In July, the bilateral meeting of foreign ministers took place in Berlin where, in addition to the issues mentioned above, the ministers discussed energy, combating international piracy, and prospects for bilateral relations. The Estonian foreign minister gave a speech entitled Our Europe – Tasks for Today and Tomorrow in the German Foreign Policy Society; the speech addressed important tasks facing the European Union. Estonian-German economic relations were developed further in 2008 by several visits. In January, Minister of Agriculture Helir-Valdor Seeder and his accompanying delegation 117 2008 / 2009 ESTONIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS YEARBOOK participated in the traditional international agriculture and food trade fair Grüne Woche and had meetings with his colleagues from Germany’s Federal States. An important land- mark was establishing closer co-operation with Baden-Württemberg. At the beginning of the year, Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications Juhan Parts visited Baden- Württemberg with a business delegation, with the goal of presenting Estonia as a country with a favourable economic and tax system, a provider of IT solutions, and an interesting travel destination. Minister Juhan Parts also attended the Stuttgart tourism fair. During the visit of Ernst Pfi ster, Minister of Economic Affairs of Baden-Württemberg in April, the ministers discussed areas for further co-operation.