Director of presidential office to return to ForMin

Peep Jahilo. Photo: Jaan Vanaaseme

Peep Jahilo, director of the Office of the President and a long-serving Estonian diplomat, has decided to return to the Foreign Ministry after nearly three years working at Kadriorg.

«I am grateful to Peep Jahilo for agreeing to bring his experience to Kadriorg for a few years in the fall of 2021, where he has taken good care of the presidential office. As per our agreement, I knew that sooner or later, he would return to his roots. Unfortunately, that time has now come,» President Alar Karis said.

«Peep Jahilo's empathy, ability to see the big picture, and diplomatic communication skills will also remain his strong suits in foreign service,» he added.

Jahilo compared working at Kadriorg to a long flash, where no two days were alike, shaped by both domestic and international issues.

«These years were marked by internal political changes, Russia's aggression in Ukraine, and related support for Ukraine, as well as all aspects of national defense, since the president is the supreme commander of national defense,» he said.

«I want to thank President Karis and his team for the opportunity to see Estonia and the surrounding world from this perspective. Now, I have reached the point where I must return to my old trade, diplomacy.»

Jahilo has served in the foreign service as Estonia's chargé d'affaires in London, ambassador to Norway and Iceland, Greece and Cyprus, India, the Netherlands, and Albania. He has also held positions as director of the foreign minister's office, head of the personnel and internal audit departments, and deputy secretary general of the Foreign Ministry.