Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas resigns to become EU's top diplomat

Estonian television station ERR reported on July 15 that Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and her government had resigned.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas resigns. Illustrative photo. (Source: Canada Press/AP)

The incumbent government continues to perform its duties until the new cabinet takes office.

Prime Minister Kallas submitted his resignation to President Alar Karis and the government convened an extraordinary meeting, at which the prime minister and all members of the government announced their resignation.

Ms. Kaja Kallas was recently selected by European Union (EU) leaders to serve as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the next five-year term.

Ms. Kallas will remain as acting Prime Minister of Estonia until a new government is approved in early August.

Estonia under Prime Minister Kallas has been one of the strongest European supporters of Ukraine after the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out in February 2022.

Summarizing the three and a half years that the country of 1.3 million people has been under the leadership of Prime Minister Kallas's administration, Baltic News Service quoted President Karis as saying that “it was a period full of crises, milestones (like) the Covid-19 pandemic, economic recession and conflicts in Europe”.

The prime minister's move automatically triggers the resignation of Ms Kallas's three-party cabinet, which includes her center-right Reform Party, the Social Democrats and the liberal Estonia 200. This interim government will continue to function until a new cabinet is sworn in, likely in late July or early August.

The Reform Party announced on June 29 that it had chosen Climate Minister Kristen Michal as its candidate for prime minister to replace Ms. Kallas, whose most recent main task was representing Estonia at the NATO summit in Washington last week.

The nomination will have to be approved by President Karis and the National Assembly, where the coalition holds a majority.

The 49-year-old former minister of economics and justice has been active in the Reform Party, Estonia's key political body, since the late 1990s. He has served as minister in charge of climate issues since April 2023.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/thu-tuong-estonia-kaja-kallas-tu-chuc-de-tro-thanh-nha-ngoai-giao-hang-dau-cua-eu-278765.html