"I appoint Riina Kaljurand Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Estonia to the People's Republic of China, based in Beijing," read the decision signed by President Alar Karis on September 3.

Kaljurand has worked for the foreign ministry since 1993 and has had stints at the Ministry of Defense and with think‑tank the International Center for Defense and Security (ICDS), and as director of the annual Lennart Meri Conference.

She was Estonian ambassador to Georgia from 2020 to 2024, based in Tbilisi, where she was also accredited as ambassador to Armenia.

Hanso, who in summer was mentioned in connection with a possible presidential bid and said he was willing to run if asked, is reportedly set to take up the post of Estonia's ambassador to the U.S. Ülle Madise was last week confirmed as Estonia's next head of state.

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