Anthony Bailey, HM Honorary Consul-General of the Kingdom of Tonga in Portugal, attended the ceremony at Lisbon City Hall where the President of the Republic of Estonia, H.E. Alar Karis, was presented with the Keys of the City of Lisbon by the Mayor of the Portuguese capital, Carlos Moedas.
The ceremony, held in the historic Salão Nobre of the Câmara Municipal de Lisboa, formed part of President Karis’s State Visit to Portugal, undertaken at the invitation of the then President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. Despite exceptionally heavy rain in the city, the event proceeded with great dignity and reflected the warm relations between Portugal and Estonia, two proud member states of both the European Union and NATO.
During the ceremony President Karis delivered a thoughtful address reflecting on the challenges currently facing Europe, including the consequences of Russia’s continued aggression against Ukraine and the importance of unity and cooperation among democratic nations.
The visit also offered an opportunity to recall the growing international engagement of Estonia. Diplomatic relations between the Republic of Estonia and the Kingdom of Tonga were established in 2015, and in 2023 President Karis met the then Prime Minister of Tonga, Siaosi Sovaleni, in New York. On that occasion discussions included opportunities for digital cooperation, notably with Estonia’s internationally respected e-Governance Academy, as well as the shared concerns of small island nations in the face of climate change and natural disasters.
During the occasion President Karis also asked that his warm wishes be conveyed to His Majesty King Tupou VI of Tonga.
For the Consul-General, the ceremony also recalled earlier personal connections with Estonia, a country he last visited in 2011.