The conference began in Tallinn where we were greeted by Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and met with several other officials for updates on Estonia’s economy and geopolitical situation. In the evening we dined with President Alar Karis in the president’s garden and continued the next day with tours and presentations from various sectors such as the wood industry, innovative food industry, green and clean tech, and information and communication technology.
I chose to visit Tallinn’s Tehnopol Science and Business Park which supports technology startups in Estonia and help expand them to the world. As the largest science park in the Baltics, Tehnopol provides enterprises with everything they need for growth, development, and real-life test environments — from modern office spaces to business counselling and innovation testing. The campus is home to well-regarded technology companies such as Skype, Cybernetica, Starship Technologies, Ektaco, and SMIT.
… the impressive Estonian National Museum… aims to reflect everyday life, the culture and history of Estonians, Estonian minorities and Finno-Ugric peoples over many time periods. The museum is so vast that it is recommended to spread your visit out over several days.
The following day we travelled to Tartu and started with presentations at the University of Tartu’s newest campus, the Delta Centre. For the afternoon, a group of us partook in a tour of the impressive Estonian National Museum that aims to reflect everyday life, the culture and history of Estonians, Estonian minorities and Finno-Ugric peoples over many time periods. The museum is so vast that it is recommended to spread your visit out over several days.
Our second day in Tartu included a visit to Värska Farm Museum, where we were introduced to the Seto culture. Their unique style of folk singing, called leelo, was added to the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. The day ended at the Tartu 2024 Song and Dance Celebration which drew over 10,000 performers over the week.
We left Estonia even more energized about sharing its strengths and accomplishments in Canada, both with government and the private sector, and working to further establish trade and business ties.
