Summaries

Statue of Poet Kalju Lepik Unveiled A statue of Estonian poet Kalju Lepik, who fled Estonian in 1944 and is considered to be one of the country's greatest poets in expressing longing for his homeland, was unveiled in his hometown of Koeru on the eve of the 100th anniversary of...

Multiple Events Commemorate the 1944 Great Refugee Flight On September 19, a monument was unveiled on the seashore of Puise peninsula in Lääne County, dedicated to the 75 000+ people, who fled Estonia ahead of the second Soviet invasion in the fall of 1944.   More than 5000 of those...

Estonian Children Abroad Began a New Virtual School Year On September 15, the "Global School" (Üleilmakool) for Estonian-speaking children living outside of Estonia started its eighth academic year with 260 students from 29 countries.   Elementary school-age students have the opportunity to study Estonian language and literature, Estonian history, social...

World's Largest Muhu Stocking Exhibit on at ERM The world's largest exhibition of traditional stockings from the island of Muhu in currently on display at the Estonian National Museum (ERM) in Tartu, showcasing 70 historical stockings, as well as 84 pairs knitted especially for this exhibition.      Tänak and...

Baltic Countries Reached Agreement on Electricity Trade On August 31, the ministries responsible for energy in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania reached an agreement to not buy electricity from third countries following the launch of the Astravyets nuclear power plant in Belarus later this year.   With the agreement, it is...

Swimmer Merle Liivand Sets New World Record In celebration of Estonia's Restoration of Independence Day on August 20, Merle Liivand swam 20 kilometers in six-hours in Florida without using her hands and relying only on her "mermaid tail".   The result is yet another Guinness World Record.   The swimmer...

Estonia Initiates UN Security Council Discussion Concerning Belarus On August 18, Estonia and the United States led a UN Security Council discussion about the situation in Belarus and its possible implications for peace and security in Europe. In his speech, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu expressed serious concern about the use...

Composer Veljo Tormis' Virtual Centre to Open August 7, 2020 marks the 90th anniversary of the birth of the late Veljo Tormis, one of the most unique and renown Estonian choral composers and will be celebrated worldwide with the opening of the Veljo Tormis Virtual Centre (https://veljotormis.com/en/). "    ...

Estonia Summons Russian Ambassador After Attempt to Justify Occupation On July 23, Estonia's Foreign Minister summoned the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Estonia Aleksandr Petrov in connection with recent statements seeking to portray the occupation of Estonia and its annexation to the Soviet Union as legitimate.   The Embassy...

Estonia Helped Organize UN Event Commemorating Srebrenica Genocide Victims On July 10, a UN high-level event commemorated the victims of the genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia, 25 years ago.   The virtual commemoration event took place on a platform created by an Estonian enterprise.   Estonia was represented at the event...