Helen Wright

1 week ago | news.err.ee | Helen Wright

Thórlindur Kjartansson is Iceland's current deployment to Estonia (2024–2026), and like his colleagues in Latvia and Lithuania, his job is to contribute to strategic communications (stratcoms) and analysis of geopolitical developments. The ability to formulate and communicate your messages to a wider audience — both to your allies and adversaries — is critically important today, Kjartansson says, pointing to Ukraine as an example.

1 week ago | news.err.ee | Helen Wright

The agency said that when the number of people crossing the border into Russia increases, so does the workload of customs control. Officers main priority is to ensure that sanctions are not breached. In a statement, the MTA asked travelers to check that they are not carrying banned goods. "Today, the average waiting time at the border is up to 12 hours, and during the summer period waiting times may be even longer," it said.

1 week ago | news.err.ee | Helen Wright

While in the 2010s, Japan sought to improve ties with Russia and secure a peace deal over its disputed islands, since 2022, it has understood that Moscow will not make any territorial concessions, Gaens told ERR News after ICDS' Baltic Indo-Pacific Forum last week. A "wind of change" blew through the government, he said, prompting a strong reaction. Tokyo joined Europe's sanctions and stressed the importance of the international rule of law in its public relations.

2 weeks ago | news.err.ee | Helen Wright

Since 2021, irregular migrants from Africa, the Middle East and elsewhere have been crossing the EU's border in high numbers via Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. At the moment, the situation is escalating. The number of migrants attempting to cross into the EU this year is almost the same as in 2024, Kublickis said. As of June 11, there have been 4,979 attempts – between 65-70 people a day – compared with approximately 5,000 last year. April and May were particularly intense.

2 weeks ago | news.err.ee | Helen Wright

Minister Varsen Aghabekian met with Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200) and discussed the situation in the Middle East and cooperation between Estonia and Palestine. Estonia's official foreign policy is to back a two-state solution, and it does not recognize Palestinian statehood. However, it has donated €330,000 in humanitarian aid over the past two years and backed a UN proposal to give Palestine full membership rights. "The visit is surprising.