King Willem-Alexander is visiting Estonia as well as the other Baltic states to congratulate them on their centennials. He is visiting Estonia for the second time, with the last visit having taken place 16 years ago.

According to a government press release, Ratas said after the meeting in Tallinn today Tuesday that he is happy that the cooperation between Estonia and the Netherlands is taking a clearer shape. The prime minister assured King Willem-Alexander that in addition to the public sector, the Estonian IT industry and its experts are ready to work with the Netherlands to help develop its own digital society.

Trade between the Netherlands and Estonia has been increasing constantly. The Netherlands is the third-largest foreign investor in Estonia and among the top ten of the country's foreign trading partners. In comparison with the previous year, the total turnover of trade in goods increased by 14 percent in 2017, reaching €1.345 billion. "Our economic ties and business to business contacts are good, but I still see unused potential here," Ratas said.

The meeting also discussed cooperation in the field of defence and security, particularly the possibilities of strengthening the fight against cyber-attacks and disinformation. "We are allies in NATO. The Netherlands is participating in the military exercises of the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, and has contributed to the defence of the Baltic airspace and to the NATO Force Integration Unit in Estonia. In addition, the Netherlands is our largest partner in defence procurements. Our partnership is excellent," Ratas said.