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Estonia, which celebrates its 95th birthday on Sunday, belongs among the most successful countries of the world despite it that a large portion of the society sees the country's present situation in dark colors, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said in his anniversary speech Saturday evening.
The prime minister said that while objective reality and subjective perception have seldom been fully the same, they have seldom diverged as much as they have in recent years.
"There exist objective parameters on the basis of which international organizations compare states. I wouldn't like to delve into such statistics too much -- you know my love for statistical indicators all too well. Today, on the eve of the anniversary of the state, it makes sense to repeat only what's most important. Estonia has more international clout than ever before. This is an achievement that our people can be proud of," the prime minister said in his speech at the Vanemuine concert hall in his native Tartu.
This achievement has been secured by the work and consistency of the people of Estonia, Ansip said.
The prime minister pointed out that we have recovered from the crisis faster than we could hope and Estonia's economic growth in recent years has been among the fastest in Europe. "Our country has been governed in a responsible manner by successive governments," the prime minister said, adding that at a time when many countries must pay enormous interests on enormous loans, Estonia can pay salaries to doctors, teachers, police personnel and other public servants, raise pensions and avoid excessively high taxes.
The Estonian people have supported the policy of common sense pursued by governments, which might seem unexpected reading the articles published in newspapers, said Ansip. He said that while the government's rating has slipped, the government of Estonia still ranks among the top one-third in Europe. The government is trusted more only in eight old and rich member states. In Estonia also institutions of the state and political parties are trusted more than average, the prime minister added.
"But I'm already beginning to hear how various comparisons valuing Estonia in the global or European context are disparaged, because many do not feel good in Estonia. True, the pay of Estonian people is smaller than desired. Growth opportunities are narrow, because despite fine percentages the volume of Estonia's gross domestic product still hasn't reached the pre-crisis level, the level of 2007. Poverty however gives rise to despair and deepens the notion that those in power are unfair and that for the arrogant government one measure exists alone: money, not the person," he said.
Recalling that according to the latest census data approximately 25,000 people from Estonia go to work abroad, the prime minister expressed confidence that many of them will find a paying job at home one day so that the family can be together again.