TALIN, Estonia – Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited the Estonian capital Tallinn on Tuesday, where he met and made joint statements with his Estonian counterpart Kaja Kallas.

Emphasising that his trip to Estonia had been planned for some time and coincided with the centennial of diplomatic relations, as well as the many things the two countries share in common, he noted that there was a great deal the two countries can do to cooperate in many fields, such as digital transformation, where he noted that Greece was inspired by the Estonian model in the design of Greece’s own ministry of digital governance, which has transformed interactions with the state.

“You are leaders when it comes e-government and we are looking forward to further deepen that collaboration,” he said, as well as further cooperation in high tech, another area where Estonia excels.

“Greece is the place to be and do business,” for companies seeking to expand in southeastern Europe, Mitsotakis noted, citing a report in the Economist praising the improvement of the Greek economy.

“Greece and Estonia stand united against this blatant act of aggression by Russia,” Mitsotakis said, “along with the rest of our EU partners and NATO allies, adding that “we have committed ourselves to continue to provide Ukraine with all the necessary support, including military support”.

He also cited the need to join forces to convince the countries that do not implement the sanctions against Russia that this is not the right approach, especially NATO members, adding that sanctions are effective and especially if loopholes that allow Russia to circumvent them are eliminated.

Mitsotakis said he had briefed Kallas on the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean and “the continuous tensions provoked by Turkey in the Aegean through actions and rhetoric that undermine the stability of the entire region.”

He emphasised that there was “only one playbook” that can be used in resolving issues between states, which was that of international law.

Mitsotakis stressed that “unnecessary provocations, offensive rhetoric against Greece and openly questioning the sovereignty of our islands” are unacceptable actions and need to stop immediately so that the two countries can arrive at a negotiated agreement.

He said that Greece and Estonia have a common interest in stopping migration, as two states on the external borders of the EU, and need to condemn states “openly weaponise” migrants to gain geopolitical leverage. Greece was also working with Estonia to address the cost-of-living crisis affecting all of Europe, while all were also faced with populist voices promising easy solutions within their interior.

“Greece is systematically supporting businesses and households in order to reduce the impact of the high cost of energy but we also need a European solution,” he emphasised, adding that now was the time for EU ministers to agree in order to limit the fluctuations in natural gas prices.

Mitsotakis highlighted Greece’s role as a leader in renewable energy and its potential role in reducing dependence on Russian energy.