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On Thursday, 24 January, Estonia’s new ambassador to the Russian Federation Jüri Luik presented his credentials to President Vladimir Putin, reported Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
New Estonian Ambassador to Russia Presents Credentials
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In his address to the ambassadors that had gathered, Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed his readiness to advance good-neighbourly relations with Estonia. “We are neighbours; our interests overlap in many areas. I propose that we take advantage of this positive potential,” Putin said in Moscow on Thursday while accepting the credentials of foreign ambassadors. Putin confirmed that Russia is prepared to build up constructive relations while adhering to good-neighbourly principles and respecting one another’s interests.
In his conversation with President Putin, Ambassador Luik acknowledged that Estonia has always been interested in good-neighbourly, constructive and pragmatic relations, and agreed that there is much untapped potential in our bilateral co-operation.
From 1988-1990 Jüri Luik was the editor-in-chief of the magazine “Vikerkaar”; following that he worked as an expert at the Estonian Institute. In 1991 Jüri Luik came to work at the Foreign Ministry under the leadership of Lennart Meri, rapidly rising to the position of director general of the political department. In the fall of 1992 he was elected to Riigikogu and soon after he became a minister without portfolio in the government of Mart Laar; later he became the minister of defence. Luik led the Estonian delegation in the Estonia-Russia negotiations over the removal of Russian troops from Estonia’s territory. From 1994-1995 he was the Estonian foreign minister, from 1996-1999 Estonia’s ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Benelux countries and to NATO, and in 1999 he once again became the minister of defence (until 2002). From 2002-2003 Luik was the leader of the Estonian delegation in negotiations to join NATO. Starting in 2003 he was the Estonian ambassador to the United States as well as Mexico and Canada. In September 2007 he began working as Estonia’s representative to NATO, where he remained until assuming his current post.
Ambassador Luik has a son. His wife, Ruth Lausma Luik, is also a diplomat and has served as the director of the Estonian representation in Italy as well as the ambassador to France and Andorra.