Välisministeerium
Meie: 24.10.2023
nr 7-5.13/23-02041-2
Kirja edastamine
Edastan peaministrile saabunud Balti-Ameerika Kaubanduskoja pöördumise.
Lugupidamisega
(allkirjastatud digitaalselt)
Heili Tõnisson
Valitsuse nõunik
Teadmiseks:
Majandus- ja Kommunikatsiooniministeerium
Stenbocki maja / Rahukohtu 3 / 15161 Tallinn / Estonia / registrikood 70004809
+372 693 5555 /
[email protected] / www.riigikantselei.ee
BALTIC AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, INC.
917-945-9742 October 23, 2023
[email protected]
Government of the Republic of Estonia
1177 Avenue of
Americas, Fl 7, Dear Prime Minister Kaja Kallas,
New York, NY
10036, USA We are writing to express our sincere concern regarding the recent decision to close Estonia's
www.bacc.nyc Consulate General in New York City.
The Consul General of Estonia in New York holds an Honorary Director's position at the Baltic
American Chamber of Commerce (BACC). Since the incorporation of BACC in 2016, the Consulate
Generals of the Baltic States, including Estonia, have played a crucial role in coordinating our activities
and advancing our mission of fostering robust economic and business relationships between the
Baltic countries and the United States.
Over the years, we have jointly organized several events to facilitate meetings between the Estonian
Consulate General and businesses in New York. These events have included a Round Table
Discussion with the Estonian Trade Delegation on November 28th, 2018 as well as a meeting with
Estonia's Prime Minister and his delegation on October 29th, 2019. Furthermore, we helped facilitate
the First International Business Delegation featuring Baltic Chamber Representatives in Kyiv, Ukraine,
which took place on June 25th, 2022 and a gathering with Estonian Venture Capital and Tech Industry
representatives which occurred on September 28th, 2022. One of our recent achievements was on
September 18th, 2023 the "US Baltic Strategic Investment Summit 2023," which presented an array
of impressive investment opportunities within Estonia. Notably, the event featured four distinguished
panelist speakers from Estonia, including Estonia's President, The Honorable Alar Karis, who
emphasized Estonia's strategic business positioning and showcased the success stories of various
companies originating from Estonia.
The success of this event was evident through a post-event survey, which showed overwhelmingly
positive feedback from our attendees, all expressing a strong desire to attend the event again in the
coming year. We rmly believe that, without the assistance of the Consulate General, it will be
exceedingly challenging to accomplish our critical mission of promoting business relations between
Estonian and the United States.
Given the pivotal role that the Estonian Consulate General has played in our collaborative efforts, we
kindly urge you to reconsider the recent decision to close this vital of ce. The closure of the Estonian
Consulate General would undoubtedly impede our ability to effectively draw attention to the economic
opportunities available in Estonia. In light of our longstanding and productive partnership, we hope
you will consider the impact of this decision not only on the Baltic American Chamber of Commerce,
but also on the broader economic and business relationships between Estonia and the United States.
We sincerely appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to a constructive dialogue to
address our concerns.
Sincerely,
John Kissane, Co-Founding Board Member of the Baltic American Chamber of Commerce
fi
fi
From: BACC NY <
[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2023 5:25 AM
To: Kaja Kallas <
[email protected]>
Cc: John Kissane <
[email protected]>; Taimar Peterkop <
[email protected]>; Gerrit
Mäesalu <
[email protected]>; Liis Lipre-Järma <
[email protected]>; Britta Tarvis
<
[email protected]>
Subject: Letter to Prime Minister Kaja Kallas re Estonia's Consulate General in New York Closure
Dear Prime Minister Kaja Kallas,
The Baltic American Chamber of Commerce (BACC), New York-based nonprofit organization address its
concern regarding the decision to close the Consulate General of Estonia in New York.
Please find out official letter attached.
We appreciate your time and consideration of this request and would be delighted to answer any
questions you may have.
Sincerely,
Inga Klimasauskiene
Principal | Baltic American Chamber of Commerce, Inc.
phone: +1 (917) 945-9742
site: www.bacc.nyc
email:
[email protected]
address: 1177, 6th Avenue, 7 Floor, New York, NY 10036
2023-10-23-Estonia's PM.pdf