Today the President of the Riigikogu Ene Ergma met at Toompea Castle Czech Prime Minister Petr Nečas who is on a one-day official visit to Estonia. At the meeting, cooperation in the European Union and NATO and bilateral relations, as well as parliamentary relations were discussed.

Ergma thanked the Prime Minister for the Czech Republic’s contribution to Baltic air policing. She also expressed her delight that the Czech Republic would send its experts to the NATO Cyber Defence Centre in Tallinn. “It is very necessary that more states should be engaged in cyber defence, because together we can better ensure our cyber security,” she said.

The President of the Riigikogu emphasised the busy and close relations of the parliaments of the two countries. Good ties have been established between different committees. Last year, the Committee on the Budget of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic and the committee on economy and rural life of the Senate visited the Riigikogu. Ergma recalled the warm reception at the Czech parliament in November 2011 and noted that she was looking forward to the visit of Czech Speaker Miroslava Němcová to Estonia in June.

In Ergma’s words, the Czech Republic is an important partner for Estonia and their ways of thinking coincide in many issues. Both countries value transatlantic relations and they attach importance to the EU enlargement and Eastern Partnership as well as completion of the development of the EU internal market. When touching upon the situation in the eurozone, both agreed that a responsible fiscal policy and the financial stability of member states is beneficial for all EU countries.

When speaking of the economic cooperation of the two countries, everybody admitted that there was still unused potential in trade and mutual investments. When speaking about tourism, the President of the Riigikogu highlighted the popularity of Prague and the Czech Republic as a tourist destination among Estonians; however, increasingly more Czech tourists might discover Estonia for themselves. Both Ergma and Nečas expressed a hope that soon it would be possible to relaunch direct flights between Tallinn and Prague.

Today, the Czech Prime Minister also met Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and visited the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Photos of today’s meeting in the Riigikogu are available at: https://fotoalbum.riigikogu.ee/v/2013/Ene+Ergma/Necas/

The Riigikogu Press Service

 

 

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