Prime Minister departs for a visit to Slovenia and the USA
23.11.2007
Government Communication Office
www.valitsus.ee/brf
Tallinn, Stenbock House, 22 November 2007 – Prime Minister Andrus Ansip departs for a two-day visit to Slovenia, holder of the next Presidency of the European Union. This will be followed by the Prime Minister’s visit to the United States of America, where Andrus Ansip will spend three days.
On the official visit to Slovenia on 26-27 November, Andrus Ansip will meet with Janez Janša, head of the Slovenian government. After the official meeting of the Prime Ministers on 27 November, the heads of governments will give a joint press conference starting at 10.15 at the Press Centre of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia. During the visit, Andrus Ansip will also meet with the Slovenian Minister of Finance, Andrej Bajuk, and the president of the Central Bank, Marko Kranjec.
The main purpose of the visit is to meet Slovenia as the next holder of the Presidency of the European Union, and to discuss the future, Neighbourhood Policy and energy policy of the Union. The Slovenian Euro reforms will also be discussed at the meeting, as well as transnational economic cooperation and, among other topics, the next NATO summit in Bucharest.
From Slovenia, the Prime Minister will depart for the United States of America.
On 28 November, a meeting with Vice-President of the United States of America Dick Cheney, will be held. On the same day, meetings with US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman and Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez will also be held. Initially, the meeting with the press has been planned for 17.00 at the National Press Club.
During the visit to Washington, the Prime Minister will also meet with the representatives of the Estonian community and lay a wreath at the Victims of Communism Memorial.
After Washington DC, the Prime Minister will visit Silicon Valley in California.
On 30 November, Andrus Ansip will give a speech at the Hoover Institute in Stanford about the formation of a liberal economic environment in Estonia. The Hoover Institute is one of the most significant research centres today, where, among other things, unique documents of the beginning of independent statehood in Estonia and the history of the Baltic’s are kept.
In Silicon Valley, Andrus Ansip will meet with the representatives of the San Jose city government, under the leadership of Chuck Reed. Silicon Valley is regarded as one of the largest regions of technological expertise and risk capital concentration in the world. San Jose, with approximately one million inhabitants, is the centre of the region.
In San Jose, the opening of the US agency of Enterprise Estonia at the US Market Access Center (US MAC) will also take place. The purpose of the Silicon Valley agency of Enterprise Estonia is to support Estonian technology companies and research institutions in finding an output or market in the USA, in involving financing facilities – risk capital – and finding partners for mutual transfer of technology and knowledge.
When establishing new agencies, Enterprise Estonia will consider that the agencies would support Estonian entrepreneurs in target markets, where the possibilities for increasing export earnings, strategic investments and technology transfer are the biggest and fastest. Preparations for establishing a US agency of Enterprise Estonia already started in 2005.
Additional information:
Inga Jagomäe
Director of the Government Communication Office
GSM +372 548 1467
E-mail: inga.jagomae@riigikantselei.ee
 
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