President Karis met with the King and Prime Minister of the Netherlands

TALLINN – President Alar Karis met in The Hague with His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands and Prime Minister Rob Jetten.

"We share a similar attitude and outlook on life with the Dutch; we are like-minded in our view of the world. Like Estonia, the Netherlands is one of the staunchest supporters of Ukraine, and during the meeting, I thanked King Willem-Alexander for their contribution to our region's security," President Karis remarked.

"All European countries are neighbors of Russia, and the pressure on Russia must continue in all its aspects. It is important to finalize the establishment of a tribunal for the crime of aggression and to find the necessary resources for it," the head of state said.

"We discussed with Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten how to ensure European security and further expand our cooperation in the economy, education, digital matters, and artificial intelligence. I invited the Prime Minister to visit Estonia," said the head of state.

President Alar Karis, accompanied by his wife Sirje Karis, is visiting the Kingdom of the Netherlands on Wednesday and Thursday. The visit reaffirms the partnership between Estonia and the Netherlands, including their roles as strong supporters of Ukraine. The focus of the visit is on security and defense cooperation and the promotion of bilateral science and education cooperation. The head of state is accompanied by a science and business delegation.

On Thursday, President Karis will visit the Peace Palace in The Hague, which houses the Permanent Court of Arbitration and the International Court of Justice. The Estonian head of state will also deliver a lecture at Erasmus University Rotterdam on the European security situation and the challenges of the coming decade.

On Wednesday, the head of state met with the mayor of Utrecht and visited the city's science park. In Noordwijk, he visited the European Space Agency's (ESA) European Space Research and Technology Centre and met with Estonian specialists working there. In the evening, the head of state met with the local Estonian community and honorary consuls at the Estonian Embassy.

The presidential couple will return to Estonia late on Thursday evening.