Tallinn, Stenbock House, 22 September – Today, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip welcomed to Stenbock House Prime Minister of Iceland Geir H. Haarde, who was on a three-day visit to Estonia.
To begin with, Ansip thanked Iceland for recognising Estonia again 15 years ago. “Iceland was the first country to recognise the restoration of Estonia’s independence. Given the conditions during that time, this decision could not be easily made. We thank you very much for the recognition expressed back then, which guided Estonia’s development,” Ansip said.
The Prime Minister of Iceland stated that the recognition of Estonia’s restoration of independence not only expressed the support of the government but also that of the population of the country on a larger scale. “I am very glad that back then Iceland reacted quickly, but I am even happier now while seeing such development in Estonia,” he said.
Ansip noted that Iceland, which had gone through rapid development, is a good model for Estonia. “Iceland is a very good example for Estonia of how a small country can rapidly develop. We must learn from you how to better achieve our goal of becoming one of the five richest countries in Europe,” he said.
The Prime Minister of Iceland said that being a big country is not a precondition for being successful. “Liberalisation of the economy has brought success and welfare to Iceland,” Haarde noted. The opening of the labour market is the last example of Iceland’s liberal economic policy, which was recognised highly by the Prime Minister of Estonia. Prime Minister Ansip also familiarised his Icelandic colleagues with the situation on the labour market in Estonia. He noted that while a decade ago unemployment was a problem here, now productivity is a problem.
After the end of the meeting, the prime ministers went to Iceland Square, where at 13.00 a memorial plaque was unveiled on the facade of the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to commemorate the re-recognition of Estonia. The following text in Estonian, Icelandic and English has been cut into the granite plaque: “The Republic of Iceland was the first state to recognise, on 22 August 1991, the restoration of Estonia’s independence”. The prime ministers gave speeches at a reception held after the unveiling of the memorial plate.
Andrus Ansip’s speech can be found at: http://www.valitsus.ee/redirect/785
Additional information: http://www.vm.ee/eng/kat_176/7717.html
