Finnish prime minister meets Kaljulaid
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin met with President Kersti Kaljulaid on Friday during her first official visit to the country and discussed security, the European Union budget, and climate change.
After the meeting, Kaljuliad wrote on Facebook: "We talked about security, the energy market and alternative energy sources, the next budget period of the European Union and, of course, the fight against climate change. Prime Minister Marin also spoke about her government's plans for the future and commended Estonia for coming to the table of the UN Security Council."
Earlier in the afternoon Marin and Estonian Prime Minister Jüri Ratas spoke at a joint press conference reaffirming the two countries' strong relations.
The meeting between the two prime ministers focused on bilateral relations, transport and energy connections between the two countries, the security situation in the Middle East, and issues related to the future of the European Union.
Marin also viewed "Creating the Self: Emancipating Woman in Estonian and Finnish Art" at Tallinn's Kumu Art Gallery in Kadriorg.
Marin, 34, is a member of the Social Democratic Party and is one of the youngest prime ministers in Europe. It is traditional that the first two international visits a Finnish prime minister makes are to Estonia and Sweden.
Last month, President Kersti Kaljulaid apologized to Finnish President Sauli Niinistö for comments made by the Estonian Minister of the Interior, Mart Helme, calling Marin a salesgirl and questioning how her coalition could run the country.
Helme (EKRE) said the Finnish government are "reds" that are trying to destroy the country. He also criticized Marin questioning how someone who had once worked as a salesgirl could become prime minister.
"I would still recall [Soviet leader] Vladimir Ulyanov-Lenin's saying that every cook could become a minister, or something to that effect," he said. "Now we can see that a salesgirl has become prime minister and some other street activist and uneducated person has also become a member of the government."
The comments gained international attention.
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Editor: Helen Wright