Global Estonian Cooperation Committee meets at Ministry of Foreign Affairs
On September 30th, a hybrid meeting of the Global Estonian Cooperation Committee (Üleilmse eestluse koostöökomisjon) was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where the implementation of the Global Estonian Action Plan (Üleilmse eestluse tegevuskava 2022-2025) was discussed together with representatives of Estonia's largest foreign communities.
The goal of the commission in the long term is to ensure better cooperation between Estonian state institutions and organizations dealing with the preservation of the Estonian languge and culture (eestlus) abroad.
The Cooperation Committee is headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and its members are the Minister of Education and Science, the Minister of Culture, the Minister of Social Affairs, the Minister of Foreign Trade and Information Technology, the Minister of the Interior, a representative of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church, a representative of the Integration Foundation, and the major umbrella organizations of Estonians living abroad - the World Estonian Central Council, the Estonian National Committee in the United States, the Estonian Central Council Representatives of Estonians in Canada, the Estonian Union of Sweden, Germany and the United Kingdom.
On this occasion, representatives of Estonian societies and organizations from around the world came both physically and virtually. In addition, representatives from the Global School, the Tuglase Society from Finland, the Välis-Eesti Ühingu, the Estonian Institute, the Integration Foundation, the NGO Global Estonians, the Global Estonian Youth Network and several ministries participated.
Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu emphasized that the unification of Estonians must be much more ambitious than before. According to Marin Mõttus, the special diplomatic representative of Estonia worldwide, special attention must be paid to the connection between different generations: on the one hand, preserving memory and historical heritage, on the other hand, involving young people and supporting their Estonian identity. In this regard, the practical and lively participation of the International Estonian Youth Network at the meeting was important.
