Kristen Michal, who was elected prime minister in July, gave a special interview to .
The warm relations between Finland and Estonia were reflected in a certain immediacy at the press conference held in Kesäranta.
The prime minister of Finland was speaking Petteri Orpo and the new Prime Minister of Estonia Kristen Michal.
– Our bilateral relations are excellent, Orpo confirmed.
Kristen Michal was elected prime minister in July, when her predecessor, Kaja Kallas, was elected to a high EU post.
However, the new prime minister has tighter positions in Estonia’s leadership than perhaps any other prime minister in the country’s recent history.
A small country has to live in fear of a big, aggressive neighbor.
The national debt is growing the fastest in Europe, inflation is on the rise and, on top of all that, Michal’s government had to introduce a new “security tax”, which has been called a war tax.
Even though Estonia is a NATO country, it has started to increase its defense spending and has committed to helping Ukraine with one hundred million euros every year.
In a special interview with , the Prime Minister admits that there are problems.
How have Estonians accepted the new tax?
– Nobody likes taxes, certainly not our government either, says Michal.
Estonia plans to get out of the tight spot by cutting public spending by ten percent and investing in the security and defense industry.
– All this has to be done because of Russia. Nobody likes taxes, but neither does Russia.
According to the Estonian Prime Minister, Finland and Estonia, if any, know their neighbors.
– Russia has not changed at all over the years. They don’t want democracy or capitalism. They think differently, aggressively.
Estonia hopes that Finland will succeed
But what about the other neighbor, Finland. What does Finland have to offer Estonia?
– Finland is the most important trade partner, digitality, hydrogen, green energy and new technologies, tourism, Michal enumerates.
In short, the better Finland succeeds, the better things will be across the bay, according to the prime minister.
“I hope that Russia loses and pays for the damage it caused”
Michal, who speaks Finnish fluently, declares himself to be a supporter of the tunnel between Helsinki and Tallinn.
– I have always supported the project, but its implementation is not up to me, he laughs.
Mikhal considers the project expensive, but according to him it would benefit both countries financially. First, however, the railway lines should be improved.
– I’ve always said that when I’m retired, I could travel to Helsinki via the tunnel. It just seems that the retirement age just keeps getting higher and higher, says 49-year-old Michal.
And what is the prime minister’s prediction about Russia’s war in Ukraine, how and when will it end?
– I hope that Russia loses and understands that war is not worth it. And it is also important that Russia itself pays for all the damage it has caused.
He does not want to estimate when this could happen.