First Vice-Speaker of the Senate, Jiří Drahoš, visiting Tallinn
17.04.2026 / 16:26 | Aktualizováno: 17.04.2026 / 16:46
The 1st Vice-Speaker of the Czech Senate, Jiří Drahoš, visited Tallinn on 16 April 2026 to attend the Mitteleuropa Forum organized by the Saxon State Parliament, where he delivered a keynote speech on “Resilient Self-Assertion” and took part in a panel discussion.
During his visit, he also held bilateral meetings with two members of the Estonian Parliament, reaffirming the strong and enduring relationship between Czechia and Estonia. Discussions highlighted shared values, a common geopolitical outlook, and close cooperation on key issues, including the clear threat posed by Russia and the need for continued support for Ukraine. In his meeting with Speaker of Parliament Lauri Hussar, they also highlighted increasing bilateral trade and focused on the ongoing language reform in education. Mr. Vice-Speaker expressed his appreciation for Estonia’s high-quality education system. A meeting with MP Eerik-Niiles Kross covered topics such as Estonia’s upcoming parliamentary elections in spring 2027, the position of the Russian minority in Estonia, and ongoing Russian influence efforts, including those linked to the Orthodox Church.
Finally, Mr. Vice-Speaker visited the Rail Baltica Ülemiste Joint Terminal, the future versatile and vibrant transport hub of the high-speed railway, which will connect the Baltics with Central Europe and will cost almost 24 billion euros. In March this year, tenders were announced for both train sets and for the security and signaling of the entire future Rail Baltica line, both of which are areas in which top Czech companies are also interested.
The visit confirmed not only the strength of Czech–Estonian relations but also the growing economic cooperation between our countries, including concrete examples such as the delivery of Czech Škoda Transportation trains to Estonia.