Today, September 11, Estonian Ambassador to the Netherlands Paul Teesalu handed over his credentials to King Willem-Alexander.
After the ceremony, King Willem-Alexander and Ambassador Teesalu talked about relations between Estonia and the Netherlands, the security situation in Europe and Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
“Estonia and the Netherlands have excellent bilateral relations, we are like-minded partners in the European Union and allies in NATO,” said Ambassador Teesalu and added that the Dutch air security unit, which will begin its mission in December at the renewed Ämari base, is a good example of cooperation in ensuring common security. King Willem-Alexander and Ambassador Teesalu also talked about the development of economic cooperation between Estonia and the Netherlands and investments in the field of energy and industry.
The issues of supporting Ukraine and raising the price of aggression to Russia were also discussed. Teesalu praised the Netherlands for its recent decision to support the protection of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure and the financing of humanitarian aid with 200 million euros. Opportunities for cooperation in supporting Ukraine were talked about additionally.
Before arriving in the Netherlands, Paul Teesalu was the Estonian ambassador to Italy, San Marino, Malta and the Order of Malta, based in Rome. He was Estonia’s ambassador to Egypt in 2010-2014, ambassador to the Arab League in 2011-2014, and Estonia’s first ambassador to the African Union in 2013-2015. In the years 2018-2020, he was also Estonian ambassador to the Holy See, residing in Tallinn. Previously, he has worked as deputy secretary general for political affairs and political director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in Estonian missions to NATO and OSCE. Teesalu resides in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Photo credentials: ©️Jeroen van der Meyde
