On Wednesday, the 26th of March, Estonian President Alar Karis, together with Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, will open the new Estonian Embassy in Riga, ending years of trying to find a new and more suitable building at a cost of almost eight million euros, reports Estonian broadcaster ERR.
“Estonia’s relations with Latvia are very important. Latvia is our closest NATO ally and one of our most important trading partners. By investing in our representation in Riga, we are also investing in strengthening this relationship – in security policy, business, culture and tourism,” said Eerik Marmei, Estonian Ambassador to Latvia.
The new Embassy is also located in a very symbolic location in the Riga Old Town, just a few minutes’ drive from the Presidential Palace and close to Riga Luther Cathedral.
The building cost 7.6 million euro, of which just over two million euro was provided by the EU’s Reconstruction and Sustainability Fund. And 4.6 million euros came from the sale of the previous building.
The renovated Estonian Embassy building is modern, safe and equipped for diplomatic needs. Originally a computing centre in Soviet times, it has been completely rebuilt, except for beams and some walls.
Ambassador Marmei said that the ground floor of the new Embassy is open to visitors and tourists to see exhibitions from Estonia.
Another important aspect is that four of the current nine Embassy staff members speak both Estonian and Latvian, while two others understand both languages.
The renovation project was carried out by United Riga Architects, while the interior design was developed by Kadri Tamme Interior Architecture.
The interior furnishings and fittings were made in Estonia and include the winning artwork “Oksad ja juured” (“Branches and Roots”) from the Naalesak Kunsti art competition.