Tallinn's mayor met with Australian ambassador in Estonia
Tallinn's mayor Mihhail Kõlvart met with the Australian ambassador in Estonia Kerin Ann Burns Ayyalaraju. She thanked the city and its residents who made contributions to the donation campaign lead by the Tallinn Zoo that raised almost €80,000 to help the animals injured in the wildfires in Australia.
"The wildfires that took place were unprecedented and shocking to us. A billion animals lost their lives in the fires, the damages are incomprehensible. We are very grateful for the international support. We thank you with all of our hearts," ambassador Ayyalaraju said.
"Our donations also came straight from our hearts, people want to help, people quickly came along with the initiative born from a cooperation between the city and the zoo," Kõlvart noted. "It's important to understand that we live in the same ecosystem. Under conditions of the climate crisis, the global situation forces us to think about every day. And to act, every one of us can help reduce the negative effects of climate warming by improving our lifestyles."
During the meeting, they also discussed the relations between Estonia and Australia more broadly. The ambassador praised the Estonian e-solutions and acknowledged good relations between the two countries. "There is one of the biggest communities of Estonians abroad in Australia and lots of Estonians work and travel there. Australia is a big country, many areas haven't been affected by the fires and are ready to welcome tourists," the ambassador said.
According to the maYor, helping Australis with the donations is heartfelt because Australia was one of the first countries to recognize the Republic of Estonia after Estonia regained its independence. "Only in cooperation, we can find solutions to bigger problems," Kõlvart noted.
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Editor: Roberta Vaino