Estonian Ambassador to Austria Presents Credentials

12.01.2010

Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia Eve-Külli Kala presented her credentials to President of the Republic of Austria Heinz Fischer on Monday, 11 January.

During the meeting that took place after the presentation of credentials, the two discussed Estonia and Austria’s historically good relationship and remarkably close cultural ties. They also talked about interesting events in the history of Estonian and Austrian cultural contacts. After touching upon the production of Mozart’s “Magic Flute” that was performed in Tallinn as early as 1795, they also talked about future co-operation plans. “We are planning a performance of Arvo Pärt’s 4th symphony by the Nordic Symphony Orchestra in Vienna in May of 2010,” noted Eve-Külli Kala. “In addition to our good cultural ties, we should intensify relations between our two nations on various working levels,” the ambassador said, adding that the Treaty of Lisbon will certainly give a new impulse to communication.

President Fischer and Ambassador Kala both praised Estonia and Austria’s co-operation in supporting each other’s candidacies in international organisations and promised to continue with that practice. The ambassador asked for Austria’s support for Estonia’s candidacy as the potential location of the EU’s IT agency for justice and internal affairs.

Within the course of the discussion, Eve-Külli Kala wished President Fischer luck in the upcoming presidential election. Fischer asked Kala to send his best wishes to the Estonian president and people.

Eve-Külli Kala was born on 10 November 1959 in Tartu. The ambassador graduated from Tallinn Pedagogical University with a degree in English and German philology and from the Estonian School of Diplomacy. She has also studied at Oxford University and the Geneva Institute of International Studies. Kala has worked in the Estonian foreign service since 1992. From 1992-1996 she was in the Foreign Ministry’s political department, from 1996-1999 at the Estonian representation to the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, and from 1999-2001 Kala was the director of the Foreign Ministry’s division for Central and Northern Europe. From 2002-2006 Eve-Külli Kala was the Estonian ambassador to the Czech Republic, and before assuming her current position Kala was the director general of the Foreign Ministry’s personnel department.

Ambassador Eve-Külli Kala speaks English, German, Finnish, and Russian.