Kaimo Kuusk (born 5 December 1975), [1] is an Estonian diplomat and foreign intelligence officer. From 2019 until 2023, he was the Estonian ambassador to Ukraine. In 2023, he became Estonia's ambassador to Lithuania.
Kaimo Kuusk was born in Abja-Paluoja. [1] He attended secondary school at the Hugo Treffner Gymnasium in Tartu. [2] He is a 1998 graduate of the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Tartu. [3]
Kuusk began his career employed at the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service (Estonian : Välisluureamet, VLA). He was head of the department from 1998 until 2008, and Deputy Director General from 2008 until 2019. In 2019, he was appointed the Advisor of the Eastern Europe and Central Asia Bureau of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Estonian : Eesti Vabariigi Välisministeerium). On 11 July 2019, he was appointed as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Estonia to Ukraine, succeeding Gert Antsu. [4] He arrived in Kyiv for his position on 1 August, and on 11 September 2019, he presented President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy his credentials and reaffirmed Estonia's continued support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. [5]
In 2023, Kuusk was appointed the Estonian ambassador to Lithuania, with Annely Kolk being appointed Estonia's new ambassador to Ukraine. On 28 August 2023, Kuusk presented President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda his credentials. [6]
Kuusk played football for Tallinn football club FC Toompea, retiring in 2014. [7] [8]
Edgar Savisaar was an Estonian politician, one of the founding members of Popular Front of Estonia and the Centre Party. He served as the acting Prime Minister of Estonia, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Economic Affairs and Communications, and twice mayor of Tallinn.
Jüri Ratas is an Estonian politician who served as the prime minister of Estonia from 2016 to 2021 and as the leader of the Centre Party from 2016 to 2023, and the mayor of Tallinn from 2005 to 2007. Ratas was a member of the Centre Party until switching to Isamaa in 2024.
Eesti Rahvusringhääling (ERR) – Estonian Public Broadcasting – is a publicly funded and owned radio and television organisation created in Estonia on 1 June 2007 to take over the functions of the formerly separate Eesti Raadio (ER) and Eesti Televisioon (ETV), under the terms of the Estonian National Broadcasting Act. The first chair of ERR is Margus Allikmaa, the former chair of Eesti Raadio. Present CEO is Erik Roose.
Hugo Treffner Gymnasium is a secondary school in Tartu, Estonia with special emphasis on science education. Founded by Hugo Treffner, it was the only large secondary school in 19th-century Estonia with predominantly Estonian students and no age restrictions. During the Estonian national awakening, it greatly contributed to the numbers of Estonian intellectuals.
The Estonian United Left Party, informally Left Alliance, is a left-wing political party in Estonia undergoing reformation.
Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia. The territory of Estonia consists of the mainland, the larger islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, and over 2,300 other islands and islets on the east coast of the Baltic Sea, covering a total area of 45,335 square kilometres (17,504 sq mi). Tallinn, the capital city, and Tartu are the two largest urban areas. The Estonian language is the official language and the first language of the majority of the population of 1.4 million.
Urmas Reinsalu is an Estonian politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2022 to 2023 and previously from 2019 to 2021. Before that, Urmas has served as the Minister of Defence between 2012 and 2014, and Minister of Justice from 2015 to 2019. Reinsalu is a member and current leader of the Isamaa ("Fatherland") political party, and was the party leader from 2012 to 2015.
Kaja Kallas is an Estonian politician and diplomat. She was the first female prime minister of Estonia, a role she held from 2021 until 2024, when she resigned in advance of her appointment as High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The leader of the Estonian Reform Party since 2018, she was a member of parliament (Riigikogu) in 2011–2014, and 2019–2021. Kallas was a member of the European Parliament in 2014–2018, representing the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. Before her election to Riigikogu, she was a lawyer specialising in European competition law.
Riho Terras is an Estonian politician and a former military officer who is serving as a member of the European Parliament since 1 February 2020. He was the Commander of the Estonian Defence Forces from 2011 to 2018. He was promoted to general in 2017.
Kersti Kaljulaid is an Estonian politician who served as the fifth president of Estonia between 2016 and 2021, and was its first and only female head of state since the country declared independence in 1918. She was also the youngest president, aged 46 at the time of her election.
Parliamentary elections were held in Estonia on 5 March 2023 to elect all 101 members of the Riigikogu. The officially published election data indicate the victory of the Reform Party, which won 37 seats in total, while the Conservative People's Party of Estonia (EKRE) placed second with 17 seats. The Centre Party won 16 seats, a loss of 10, while Estonia 200 won 14 seats, gaining representation in the Riigikogu.
Mihhail Kõlvart is an Estonian politician currently serving as the leader of the Centre Party since 2023. He served as the mayor of Tallinn, Estonia, a position he has held since April 2019, after the resignation of Taavi Aas, until the vote of no confidence in him held on 26 March 2024.
AS Postimees Grupp, formerly known as AS Postimees and AS Eesti Meedia, is an Estonian media holding company headquartered in Tallinn. The company is currently owned by MM Group, having acquired the half of the company from Norwegian company Schibsted in 2013 and bought the remaining half in 2015. The group is one of the largest media group in the Baltics. Among the Group's activities are creation of print and online media, production of television and radio, e-commerce.
Andres Sutt is an Estonian politician. He served as Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology in the cabinet of Prime Minister Kaja Kallas. He served as acting Minister of Foreign Affairs from June to July 2022.
Alar Karis is an Estonian molecular geneticist, developmental biologist, civil servant and politician who, since 11 October 2021, has served as the sixth president of Estonia.
Riina Hein is an Estonian film actress, film and television director and producer, and screenwriter. Hein made her screen debut as a teenager and is possibly best recalled for her role as Raja Teele in three film adaptations of novels penned by author Oskar Luts: Kevade (1969), Suvi (1976), and Sügis (1990), and a 2020 follow-up film Talve (Winter). After largely retiring from acting, Hein has focused on a career in television advertising, and film and television directing and producing.
Matti Maasikas is an Estonian diplomat. He is the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Ukraine.
Events in the year 2022 in Estonia.
Henrik Kalmet is an Estonian actor, comedian, and television personality. Kalmet began his career in 2010 and has appeared as an actor on stage, television, and films. He is also a stand-up comedian and has appeared as a judge and presenter on several Estonian television series. In 2011, he was a cofounder of the theatre troupe Kinoteater.
Kaja Tael is an Estonian philologist, translator, and diplomat. She is a former Estonian ambassador to the United Kingdom and to Germany, the Estonian Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the European Union, and the current Estonian Ambassador at Large for Climate and Energy Policy. In 2023, she became the Estonian ambassador to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).