Estonian PM to make visits to Slovenia, USA

22.11.2007

TALLINN, Nov 22, BNS - The prime minister of Estonia, Andrus Ansip, is about to travel to Slovenia for a two-day visit next week and after that to the United States for a three-day visit.

In the course of the working visit to Slovenia from Nov. 26-27 Ansip is scheduled to meet with Slovenia's head of government Janez Jansa, Finance Minister Andrej Bajuk and governor of the central bank Marko Kranjc, spokespeople for the Estonian government said.

The main purpose of the trip is to meet with the leaders of Slovenia, the next EU president, and speak about the EU future, neighborhood and energy policy. The meetings will also deal with the euro reform in Slovenia, economic cooperation between the two countries and, among other topics, the next NATO summit in Bucharest.

From Slovenia the prime minister will fly to the United States.

On Nov. 28 Ansip is scheduled to meet with Vice President Dick Cheney, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez.

The prime minister will also meet in Washington with representatives of the exile Estonian community and lay flowers to the monument to victims of communism.

After Washington the Estonian head of government will visit Silicon Valley in California.

On Nov. 30 Ansip will make a speech about the formation of Estonia's liberal economic environment at the Hoover Institute in Stanford. He will also meet with Mayor Chuck Reed and other municipal leaders of San Jose.

In San Jose, Ansip will attend the opening of a representation of the Enterprise Estonia foundation at the US Market Access Center.

Tallinn newsroom, +372 610 8814, sise@bns.ee