The Estonian Public Relations Association (EPRA) awarded this year’s title of PR Manager of the Year to President Kersti Kaljulaid, who has helped maintain focus on values important to Estonian society with great clarity and vigour both during her term of office and afterwards thanks to her active communication activities.
“The toolbox that comes with the office of the President of Estonia consists almost exclusively of communication solutions because the power of words is their only lever of power. President Kaljulaid used this power in Estonia and in the wider world in a distinctively value-based, effective and selfless manner, leaving a deeply positive mark on both our daily lives and the current and future expectations of the President of the Republic in our society,” President of EPRA Margus Mets explains the decision. President Kaljulaid’s activities in both domestic and international media as the protector and keeper of the image of Estonia, even when the words and actions of some other state leaders offended the sense of justice of the majority of society, are also worth acknowledging.
President Kaljulaid thanked the association for the acknowledgement. “When I took office, I promised that I would not remain silent when our security is in question, when our freedoms are at stake or when those weaker than us are treated unjustly, and this is the creed I followed during those five years. However, back when I worded this principle, I did not expect the topic of freedoms to become so central during my term in office – I guess that shows that many of the freedoms that were once carefully and presciently written into the constitution have not actually been thoroughly discussed, understood, worded and, where necessary, disputed in our society. This work will keep both me and the sitting heads of state busy in the future,” said President Kaljulaid when accepting the award.
<blockquote>When I took office, I promised that I would not remain silent when our security is in question, when our freedoms are at stake or when those weaker than us are treated unjustly</blockquote>
According to Mets, the president’s choice of when to speak up and on what topics and when to remain silent is a message in itself. “Likewise, the president’s choice of words, tone and performance also have value as a separate message. This is what constitutes the main task of every leader and manager, including PR managers – to find the right moment and the right words and to lead or explain the content and background of a decision in a way that enables the audience to take time to delve into details and increases their willingness to understand. Our professional association believes that Kersti Kaljulaid has been very good at this, which is why we want to thank her and highlight her as an example,” Mets notes. “President Kaljulaid has been a statesman in the truest and broadest meaning of the word, sending necessary messages even when everyone around her understood that these would not boost her personal popularity or bring any conjunctural political benefits in the short term. I would like to see more of this kind of selflessness in the speeches of our state leaders and less of the cynical-pragmatic political technological approach that prevails.
Last year, the EPRA annual award was given to Estonian medical professionals because in addition to doing their main jobs, doctors, nurses and carers played a crucial role in the coronavirus crisis, providing objective information to the society, quelling fears and providing science-based explanations of the reality that surrounds us both in the media and individually to each of their patients and charges. The award was accepted by Dr Arkadi Popov, who became the spokesman for the sector during the pandemic. 
The Estonian Public Relations Association awards the annual PR award to a person or organisation whose communicative activities have had the greatest impact in Estonia. Candidates submitted for the award may but do not have to work in the field of public relations, but their activities and public appearances must widely resonate in Estonian society.

Kaljulaid recieving EPRA award from Margus Mets

President Kersti Kaljulaid wins Estonian Public Relations Association’s Annual award

President Kersti Kaljulaid visited Saudi Arabia in the last week of October, during which she met with the heads of government of the kingdom, assisted in creating opportunities for Estonian companies to make new bilateral business contacts and took to the stage as one the keynote speakers at the prestigious Future Investment Initiative forum.
“There has been a marked rise in interest among Estonian companies in the countries on the Persian Gulf, and a number of sectors see a great deal of potential there,” explained Taavi Linnamäe from the office of President Kaljulaid. “A lot of projects are already underway, but the cultural differences between our countries mean that business diplomacy is also very important. In fact it is often what is needed in order for actual cooperation to be achieved.”
<blockquote>There has been a marked rise in interest among Estonian companies in the countries on the Persian Gulf.</blockquote>
During her time in the country, President Kaljulaid met with the heads of the Saudi government, the ambassador of the European Union to Saudi Arabia and the founders of Neom (the ‘city of the future’) and visited the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology. The meetings were primarily designed to foster business diplomacy, create new opportunities for Estonian companies in Saudi Arabia and promote business contacts between the two countries. Coinciding with President Kaljulaid’s visit to the kingdom, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology Andres Sutt was in the Saudi capital Riyadh with a business delegation of Estonian companies.
President Kaljulaid was also one of the keynote speakers at the Future Investment Initiative forum being held in the Saudi capital, her address focussing on the ways in which technology is transforming our societies. The former head of state also contributed to a discussion on the changing economy and the work of the future.
Estonia and Saudi Arabia entered into diplomatic relations in 2003. Estonia’s first ambassador to the kingdom, Jaan Reinhold, presented his credentials in Riyadh in March this year.

President Kaljulaid esineb Future Investment Initiative foorumil Saudi Araabias

President Kaljulaid makes first visit to Saudi Arabia

This week saw President Kersti Kaljulaid take her place on the supervisory board of the Yalta European Strategy (YES), Ukraine’s most important foreign-policy platform. Her aim in joining the board is to keep democratic nations and the public focussed on developments in the country.
<blockquote>Democratic and prosperous Ukraine that is corruption-free, follows the rule of law and has an honest business environment is in the interests of Europe.</blockquote>
“How things are progressing in Ukraine has always been important to me,” President Kaljulaid said. “The war that is being fought in the country is not just Ukraine’s war, but a matter for Europe and the democratic world as a whole. We must stand together in the name of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and never accept changes to European borders enacted through military force. We must keep this matter in the public eye; we must not allow it to be forgotten. Ukraine is at war and needs Europe’s support, the same way that a democratic and prosperous Ukraine that is corruption-free, follows the rule of law and has an honest business environment is in the interests of Europe. I championed this during my time as president and I consider it no less important today.”
President Kaljulaid officially joined YES on 1 November and will serve on its supervisory board for the next three years. The board is chaired by former President of Poland Aleksander Kwaśniewski. Its other members are former Prime Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt, Chairman of the Munich Security Conference Wolfgang Ischinger, former Secretary General of NATO and Prime Minister of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Vice President of the Havas Group Stephane Fouks and EastOne Group founder Victor Pinchuk.
YES was established in 2004 and initially convened in Yalta on the Crimean peninsula. In recent years, the forum – which has transformed into the platform’s annual submit – has taken place in Kyiv. It is one of the biggest political conferences in Eastern Europe, involving a range of debates throughout the year in addition to the main event.

Kersti Kaljulaid pidamas kõnet YES foorumil Kiievis

President Kersti Kaljulaid wins Estonian Public Relations Association’s Annual award

President Kaljulaid makes first visit to Saudi Arabia

President Kaljulaid appointed board member of leading Ukrainian foreign-policy forum

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