Nordic Day seminar “Nordic-Baltic Cooperation – 35 Years, Achievements and the Way Ahead”

On 23 March, the Estonian Office of the Nordic Council of Ministers celebrated the Nordic Day by organising a seminar titled “Nordic-Baltic Cooperation – 35 Years, Achievements and the Way Ahead” at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It was an occasion also to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the opening of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ Office in Estonia.

In her opening address, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers, Karen Ellemann, highlighted the historical significance of cooperation, recalling the events of 1991 when the Nordic countries were among the first to support the restoration of independence of the Baltic states. According to Ellemann, the solidarity shown at that time has evolved into a strong and mutually beneficial partnership today. “Trust is the gold of our region. Preserving and strengthening it is more important today than ever before,” she stressed, adding that the region’s strength lies in cooperation, democracy, and shared values.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna, emphasised in his opening remarks that European security and stability depend on joint action and values-based cooperation. “Freedom is never self-evident – it must be worked for every day. Cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries is an important part of our resilience and security,” said Tsahkna, also highlighting the need to unwaveringly support Ukraine and to take further steps to prevent the emergence of so-called grey zones in Europe.

Maria Gratschew, Director of the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in Estonia, gave an overview of the development of cooperation since 1991. She pointed out that in the early years, the Nordic Council of Ministers’ office focused on supporting Estonia’s state-building efforts – from strengthening democratic institutions to developing civil society and media. “Today, Estonia itself serves as a model in many areas, especially in digitalisation, education, and innovation. Our cooperation has evolved into a partnership where we learn from each other,” said Gratschew.

The seminar programme also included a panel discussion on the future directions of Nordic-Baltic cooperation, moderated by Tõnis Nirk, Ambassador-at-Large for the Baltic Sea Region at the Estonian MFA. Participants included:

• Karen Ellemann, Secretary General of the Nordic Council of Ministers
• Kristina Kallas, Minister of Education and Research of Estonia 
• Kristi Raik, Director of the International Centre for Defence and Security 
• Jonatan Vseviov, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
• Tobias Billström, former Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sweden, Head of Strategy at Nordic Air Defense
• Ville Sirviö, CEO of the Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS) 

Discussions emphasised that cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries today covers a wide range of areas, from security and energy to education, digitalisation, and innovation. It was jointly concluded that the importance of this cooperation will clearly continue to grow in the changing geopolitical context we are in.

In the evening of the Nordic Day, a festive reception was held at the premises of the Nordic Council of Ministers Office in the Old Town of Tallinn, with many guests from the morning seminar as well as cooperation partners from various sectors from across the Nordics and the Baltics.

We thank the Office of the Secretary General and our collaboration partners across the Nordic- Baltic region for participating in this festive and important milestone event for our office!

Read about Nordic Day activities in other countries:  https://www.norden.org/en/nordic-day

Watch the Nordic Day seminar recording on our YouTube here

View the 23 March Nordic Day Seminar and Reception photo gallery here

Photos by: Kristi Sits