President Alar Karis and his wife Sirje Karis are on a three-day visit to London to bolster relations between Estonia and the United Kingdom, primarily in the fields of culture, the digital economy and health technology. While there, they will be attending a concert at the Barbican marking the 90th birthday of Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. With them at the same time in London will be delegations from Estonia’s cultural and health technology sectors.
In the course of the visit, President Karis will be meeting with British investors to showcase the strengths of Estonia’s digital economy and innovation, share the country’s experience and discuss opportunities for cooperation. The head of state will also be taking part in a panel at Chatham House on Estonia’s digital state services and the development of the digital state, where he will be joined by Hannes Astok, the executive director of the e-Governance Academy. President Karis will also be meeting with Estonia’s honorary consuls in the United Kingdom to thank them for their dedication in maintaining relations between the two countries.
The head of state will be visiting the prestigious King’s College with health technology entrepreneurs to discuss possibilities for collaboration on the practical application of research findings and the development of new solutions in medicine.
Accompanied by a cultural delegation, President Karis and Sirje Karis will visit the Southbank Centre, which is home to the British capital’s three main concert and performance venues – the Royal Festival Hall, the Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Purcell Room – as well as the Hayward Gallery and the National Poetry Library. The aim of the visit is to promote cultural cooperation and strengthen ties between the creative industries in Estonia and the United Kingdom.
On Tuesday evening, President Karis and Sirje Karis will be attending a concert at the Barbican celebrating the 90th birthday of Arvo Pärt, at which the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and Tallinn Chamber Orchestra will perform some of the composer’s best-known works.
The cultural delegation includes representatives of Eesti Kontsert, the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra, Music Estonia, Tallinn City Government, the Estonian Centre of Contemporary Music, the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir, Tallinn Music Week and the Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre. The delegation of health companies includes representatives of Antegenes, Better Medicine, Kodality, Lifeyear and Migrevention.
President Karis and Sirje Karis will be returning to Estonia on Wednesday.
Photos by the Office of the President/Raigo Pajula will be published online at https://www.flickr.com/photos/presidendikantselei/albums/