The spring edition features many interesting stories and interviews including articles by Estonia's distinguished marine archaeologist Vello Mäss, Chairman of BEST, author Neil Taylor and an overview of Estonian education system by the Estonian Education Minister Tõnis Lukas. Ian Thomson describes engagingly the visits of eminent British citizens to Tallinn in the interwar period and Charles de Chassiron writes about the re-emergence of national cultures in the three Baltic states since the restoration of the independence. There are also articles about SmartPOST in Estonia, the new and vibrant Estonian Guild in London, five book reviews and much more.

LENNUK, the journal of the British Estonian Association is published twice per year and distributed free to members and others, who are interested in Estonia in the UK. Now a well-established and highly regarded publication, its scope extends from culture to sport, and politics to business.

The embassy would like to thank the retiring Editor of LENNUK Gwyn Davies for his dedication for four years and inspiring work on LENNUK and welcome the new Editor Tiina Tamman.

Check out BEST website for further information: www.britishestonianassociation.co.uk

The highlight of the 3-day festival is the story of a strange kind of information war, where a totalitarian regime stands face to face with the heroes of popular culture, an internationally acclaimed Estonian film Disco and Atomic War. The screening will be followed by Q/A with producer and scriptwriter Kiur Aarma.

The Estonian Film Festival at LSE includes 6 short, feature and documentary films, one UK premiere and Estonia’s entry for this year’s Academy Awards nominations in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The discussions following the films are led by film directors, professors and writers.

CHECK OUT THE FULL PROGRAMME AND IMAGES ONLINE

The Estonian Festival at LSE is organised by the Baltic Society LSESU and supported by the Estonian Embassy in London, the British-Estonian Association and Viru Beer - Estonian lager in the UK.

Location:
Room D202 on Thursday and Friday
Hong Kong Theatre on Saturday
Clement House
London School of Economics
99 Aldwych
WC2B 4JF

Events are free and open to all

Contact:

Regina Palandi
regina.palandi@gmail.com
Tel: 07760809117
Taavi Raidma
t.raidma@lse.ac.uk
Tel: 07909242293

The festival is organised by the Baltic Society LSESU and supported by the Estonian Embassy in London, the British-Estonian Association and Viru Beer.

The ambassador stated that frequently Estonians are by nature solitary workers, while at the same time realising that one cannot break through in the world without co-operating. “The Estonian Guild working in London is a significant example of this sort of co-operation,” he stated. “Let’s not forget the simple but harsh truth in today’s world—if people can’t see you, you don’t exist,” Laidre added.

In addition to the ambassador, other participants in the event include the tax policy counsellor of the British HM Treasury Aili Nurk, head of the Estonian contingent in Great Britain and Northern Ireland Lieutenant Commander Peeter Ivask, and director of the innovative business Realeyes Mihkel Jäätma.

The Estonian Guild in London is a network created by local Estonians with the support of the Estonian Embassy and Enterprise Estonia, which brings together active Estonians in the British Isles. The goal of the guild is to meet regularly, to exchange information, experiences and contacts, and to encourage and help fellow countrymen who wish to become active in business in the United Kingdom. The guild meets once a month.

The Estonian Guild in London has its own webpage http://gild.edicypages.com/, and you can contact the organisation at the address eestigildlondonis@gmail.com.

Estonian Embassy in London
london@mfa.ee
Tel: +44(0)20 7838 53 90
Mob: +44(0) 77689 13554
www.estonia.gov.uk
 

SPOKESPERSON´S OFFICE
+372 637 7654
+372 521 3085
pressitalitus@mfa.ee

2010 will be another exciting year for Estonia, as there is much happening all throughout the year in Estonia and with Estonia in the UK. The ISU European Figure Skating Championships 2010 will be held in the Estonian capital Tallinn between January 19-24. In spring, Estonia will host the high-level NATO Foreign Ministers’ meeting on 22-23 April and the 23rd European Film Awards will take place in Tallinn on 4 December 2010. This year will also see the final preparations for 2011, when Tallinn is the European Capital of Culture.

At the same time in the UK - Estonian architects will take part of the London Festival of Architecture in summer. Estonian fashion designer Reet Aus is back in London with a provoking installation No Place Like Home. In 2009 Reet Aus was the first Estonian designer ever at the London Fashion week. 2010 is the Year of Reading, Estonia, which will also feature in London. There will be several Estonian books published in English, authors visiting and plays staged in the UK. Internationally acclaimed Estonian composers Arvo Pärt and Veljo Tormis will celebrate their anniversaries this year and Estonian Film Festival at LSE in London will have many interesting films and speakers in the programme. Scottish Chamber Orchestra premieres Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür's Symphony No 8 in April.

Last but not least - Estonian School in London will continue its first school year in January and Estonian Guild in London will organise more events and keep developing as an organisation joining active Estonians living and working in the UK. Both organisations were established in 2009. Find out more about Estonians living in the UK from the website of Association of Estonians in Great Britain.

Whatever is going on, the Embassy will always keep you informed, so stay tuned!

Estonian Embassy in London:

london@mfa.ee

www.estonia.gov.uk

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A total of 41 different languages performed Auld Lang Syne, one of Scotland’s best-loved and most international compositions, together in the historic Bute Hall at the University on 30 November. In addition to Estonian, among the other languages sung at the event were: Latin, Persian, Arabic, Malay, Vietnamese, Frisian, Hindi, Urdu, Irish Gaelic, Scots Gaelic, Romanian, Scots, Czech, Welsh, Ukrainian, Yoruba, Swahili, Catalan, Bangla, Maori, Chichewa, Georgian, Esperanto, Thai and Igbo.

Written by Robert Burns in 1788 and later set to the tune of a Scottish folk song, Auld Lang Syne, which is traditionally sung at Hogmanay, has become one of the most recognisable songs in the world.

   Photo: Kaia still at Tallinn Zoo

The Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is a wild feline predator native to the Russian Far East, and also the mountainous areas of the taiga as well as other temperate forests. It is one of the rarest felids in the world with an estimated 30 to 45 individuals remaining in the wild. Major causes of the Amur leopards decline have been due to habitat destruction caused by wildfires, intensive logging and clear cutting, elimination of its prey and by illegal hunting.

Tallinn Zoo has installed web cameras in the leopard enclosure for people to observe online one of the rarest cats in the world, see: https://www.digisilm.ee/

More information:

Marwell Wildlife Park
http://www.marwell.org.uk/

Tallinn Zoo
http://www.loomaaed.ee/index.php?nlan=eng&index=on&ndbase=1

Amur Leopard
http://www.waza.org/virtualzoo/factsheet.php?id=112-007-002-004&view=Cats&main=virtualzoo

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet confirmed Estonia’s ongoing desire to help build up the health care sector in Helmand Province. The foreign minister noted that currently the Foreign Ministry is supporting two projects in co-operation with MTÜ Mondo that are helping to establish first aid training for adults and create a supplementary training system for doctors. “At the moment, opportunities for medical workers in Helmand Province to receive any supplementary training after completing the appropriate school are extremely limited. Due to the complicated security situation and cultural factors, all of Afghanistan continues to struggle with a lack of medical personnel, particularly female doctors, nurses, and midwives,” said Paet. “This training visit is the first step in our endeavour to help create the needed training centre and support the training of nurses and midwives,” he added.

Health care advisor for the governor of Afghanistan’s Helmand Province Dr. Hedayatullah and the head doctor of the Province’s central hospital Dr. Inayattulah passed a message of gratitude on to Foreign Minister Urmas Paet from Afghanistan’s minister of health and presented a letter of thanks from the governor of Helmand to Estonia for improving the central hospital of Helmand Province and providing it with necessary medical equipment.

Paet states that thanks to co-operation between Estonia and Great Britain, opportunities to get medical treatment in Bost Hospital have greatly improved. “The hospital’s technical capabilities now meet the standards set by the health minister of Afghanistan, and this allows the hospital to take the next step of improving the quality of care and making its work more effective,” stated Paet. “In addition to supplying equipment to the medical establishment, it is also very important to focus on finding the necessary personnel and training them,” he emphasised.

Paet also emphasised the importance of the other project that is developing the medical skills of Afghans. “It is very important to give attention to the residents’ ability to administer first aid when needed, so that they can take care of their own health and the health of their families in this way,” stressed the foreign minister.

The Afghan health care workers brought up examples of the most recent positive developments in Helmand Province’s health care sector, in which Estonia has played an important role. The medical technology equipment at Helmand Province’s central hospital is some of the best in the province. Estonia has helped the hospital to procure, among other things, an autoclave, oxygen generators, and a portable oxygen delivery system. Lashkar Gah´ in Helmand Province has begun to offer an ambulance service—this service is not available anywhere else in Afghanistan except for Kabul. Across the province there are 52 clinics offering medical aid, 16 of which have been recently opened.

More than 1.4 million people live in Helmand Province, but there are only slightly more than 1 300 health care workers there. Fewer than 100 of them are doctors and only four of them are female doctors.

Since March 2008, an Estonian health care expert has been working in the city of Lashkar Gah´ in Helmand province. The expert’s responsibility is implementing Estonia’s development co-operation project on location and consulting with the board of the United Kingdom’s development team and Helmand’s provincial government about developing the health care system.

Additional information about Estonia’s contribution to building up Afghanistan: http://www.vm.ee/?q=en/node/4080

SPOKESPERSON'S OFFICE
+372 637 7654
+372 521 3085
pressitalitus@mfa.ee

Minister Lukas will continue his programme in Cambridge, where he visits the Cambridge Union Society, Kings College, meeting MP Charles Clarke, Chairman of the British-Estonian Association Neil Taylor, former Ambassadors to Estonia Charles de Chassiron and Sarah Squire, Estonian students and professors in Cambridge and many other distinguished guests. In the afternoon he will give a keynote speech 'Education and Research – the Potential of a Small State to Reach the Top' at the Global Student Education Forum.

The Global Student Education Forum (formerly known as the 'Oxford – Cambridge Education Forum') is an independent student-led initiative. Its ultimate goal is to provide an on-line platform where students and alumni of universities around the world can engage in meaningful discussion and debate on education theories, policies and practices.

MORE PHOTOS: http://www.flickr.com/photos/estonianembassyinlondon/?saved=1

Estonian Embassy in London
Tel: +44(0)20 7838 53 90/Mobile: +44(0)77689 13554/Fax: +44(0)20 758 93 430
estonia.gov.uk/FACEBOOK-Estonian Embassy in London/TWITTER-Estembassyuk

The primary responsibility of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is to ensure the preservation of the world’s cultural and natural heritage. Estonia will participate in the work of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for four years with an expert group, which will be led by Academy of Arts professor Mart Kalm and Urve Sinijärv of the Ministry of the Environment.

Estonia was chosen out of 30 candidates along with 10 other new members as part of the rotation made every two years in the 21-member committee.

Estonia’s candidacy was organised by the Foreign Ministry and the Estonian embassies, the Ministry of Culture, and Ministry of the Environment, and the Estonian National Commission for UNESCO.

The General Assembly of the countries belonging to the Convention concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage is taking place in Paris from 23-28 October.
 
UNESCO World Heritage homepage: http://whc.unesco.org

Opening the library, Professor David Smith, Head of the Central and East European Studies Department at the university, highlighted the good relations between the department and the embassy in London and thanked the embassy for the donation. Estonian Honorary Consul in Scotland Iain Lawson said that the number of Estonians in Scotland has grown significantly during the last years and they all have very different backgrounds. "I am delighted that more Estonian students are coming to Scotland for their degree," he added.

The Estonian Library in Glasgow, which at the moment has around 100 books, is located at the seminar room of the Central and East European Studies Department at the University. Books are available for lending once a month on Saturdays during the Estonian language course. In the future the university has plans to start showing Estonian films on that day as well. The Central and East European Studies Department is gradually becoming a venue where local Estonian and people interested in Estonian culture and language can meet.

The library also welcomes private donations. More information: Lea Kreinin: l.kreinin@lbss.gla.ac.uk

šotimaal avati Eesti raamatukogu

Laupäeval, 24. oktoobril avasid Glasgow ülikooli õppejõud ja tudengid, Eesti aukonsul Šotimaal Iain Lawson ning kohalikud eestlased Šotimaal Glasgow ülikoolis Eesti raamatukogu.  Raamatud annetas ülikoolile Eesti saatkond Londonis.

Oma tervituskõnes rõhutas Glasgow ülikooli Kesk-ja Ida-Euroopa õppetooli juhataja professor David Smith häid kontakte õppetooli ja Londoni Eesti saatkonna vahel ning tänas saatkonda raamatuannetuse eest. Eesti aukonsul Šotimaal Iain Lawson märkis, et eestlaste hulk Šotimaal on viimaste aastatega kasvanud ning esindatud on proportsionaalselt väga paljud elualad. "Mul on hea meel, et  üha rohkem tuleb Glasgowsse õppima ka eesti tudengeid," lisas ta.

Glasgow Eesti raamatukogu, kus esialgu on pea 100 raamatut, asub
Kesk- ja Ida-Euroopa õppetooli seminariruumis. Raamatuid saab laenutada kord kuus laupäeviti, kui toimub ka eesti keele kaugõppekursus. Edaspidi on sel päeval kavas ülikoolis hakata näitama ka eesti filme. Kesk- ja Ida-Euroopa õppetoolist on kujunemas koht, kus kohalikud eestlased ning eesti keele ja kultuuri huvilised saavad kord kuus koos käia.

Raamatukogu võtab vastu annetusi ka eraisikutelt. Lisateave Lea Kreininilt: l.kreinin@lbss.gla.ac.uk 

PHOTOS: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lea_k/sets/72157622667570942/

Three pupils Alison Duncan, Sharon Riddel and Laura Britton from Rainey Endowed School will take on the important task of representing Estonia at the meeting. The students will have an opportunity to take part in debates and vote on topical issues affecting the EU such as climate change and the current economic crisis. Students will hear from a number of speakers with experience of working in the European institutions.

This will be the first year that the event will take place in the impressive Senate Chamber at Stormont, which is rarely used for external events. The mock council is one of many activities being organised by the British Council as part of its 75th anniversary year in 2009.

More information: http://www.britishcouncil.org/northernireland

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that preparations are going on in co-operation with the Interior Ministry and the Rescue Board to send an approximately 20-member Estonian rescue team to Indonesia. “The help of the Estonian rescue team was highly valued in dealing with the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia and the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. Estonia’s help is expected in Indonesia this time as well,” said Paet.

Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that the situation in Indonesia is very complicated and the nation has asked for help in stabilising the situation. “We have decided to send an Estonian expert to Indonesia who will help the UN aid mission with information technology matters,” said Paet.

The Estonian information technology expert will go to Indonesia within the framework of the International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP), which aims to support the activities co-ordinated by the UN in alleviating the results of humanitarian disasters.

The Indonesian government issued a plea for aid to the international community for, among other things, rescue teams, medical supplies and personnel, medicines, foodstuffs and tents. The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) has sent an assessment and co-ordination team to the region.

On 30 September the West Sumatra province of Indonesia was hit by two powerful earthquakes. The regions that suffered the most are Padang, Pariaman and Mentawai. As of the morning of 1 October, there were 460 known casualties. At least 500 buildings have collapsed and thousands of people are feared to be trapped under the rubble. The Indonesian authorities estimate that the number of dead is much higher than the known number at the moment, since rescue operations are still in the beginning phases. Because of heavy rains and flooding, thousand of people have been forced to leave their homes. Initial reports state that infrastructure, including roads, bridges, and telecommunication and water supply systems, have been badly damaged.