President of the Republic at the state dinner in honour of the King and Queen of Denmark

Your Majesties King Frederik X of Denmark and Queen Mary,

dear friends of Estonia and Denmark!

Welcome to Estonia and welcome to Tallinn - the Danish city. The place where, according to legend, the Danish flag Dannebrog fell from the sky in 1219.

This is one of those stories that we know well in Estonia, just as we know the fairy tales of the beloved storyteller Hans Christian Andersen. We have grown up with these stories. They have been part of our childhood. They have influenced the way we think, touched our souls, made us better.

One of the national core texts of Estonia, "Truth and Justice" by Anton Hansen Tammsaare, tells the story of two neighbours suing each other over a drainage ditch in a field. This story contains several important things that Estonia has inherited from Denmark and the Danes.

First, an understanding of the rule of law, where everyone can seek justice in court.

In addition to this, the Danish Census Book (Kong Valdemars Jordebog), in which all the real estate existing in northern Estonia was recorded 800 years ago. Essentially the first registry. Historical ties are the basis of our cooperation today, its strong foundation.

Denmark was one of the first states to recognise the Republic of Estonia after we restored our independence in 1991. In fact, you never gave up on it because you followed the policy of non-recognition during the Soviet occupation.

This is ingrained in our memory. Uffe Ellemann-Jensen, the Danish Foreign Minister at the time, is still remembered in Estonia as one of Estonia's greatest friends. It was Denmark that vocally supported Estonia's accession to NATO, the European Union, the World Trade Organisation and many other international organisations.

Dear guests,

I have to say that we are living in troubled times. The Estonian state and people stand in solidarity with the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland, fully supporting the principle of territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Who would have thought that reiterating this already clear position will become necessary. It is clear that we in the Nordic-Baltic friendship circle tend to follow the one for all, all for one principle. This is the way it is and this the way it will stay.

Russia's war of aggression in Ukraine is in its fourth year. We know that freedom does not last if there is no will and no readiness to defend it. The freedom of Ukraine is also the freedom of Europe. We, both Estonia and Denmark, do our utmost to help the Ukrainian people to defend their land, their people, their very existence and their freedom.

We both want a world in which the principles of the UN Charter apply and are respected, and in which international law suppresses any desire for war.

This is the world that is being fought for in the trenches of Ukraine, in the shattered cities or villages where Ukrainians are defending their country and freedom against Russian aggression.

The principle of the territorial integrity of states has been called into question elsewhere as well. Sovereign territories cannot be grabbed just like that, they cannot be simply for sale.

We are not afraid, but we are prepared. One of the priorities of the recent Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union was to strengthen Europe's defence capabilities, and we have made progress - perhaps a little slowly, but certainly steadily.

Both Estonia and Denmark have increased their defence spending, we are engaged in civil protection, our defence companies are cooperating increasingly more.

We have something to rely on. For decades, the units and members of the Estonian Defence Forces who went on foreign missions were attached to larger Danish units and lived in Danish military bases.

The brotherhood in arms that was born then is still alive today. Going back in time - 200 Danish volunteers fought alongside Estonians in our War of Independence, and Denmark's help in building up our defence after Estonia regained its independence in 1991 has been invaluable.

The Baltic Peacekeeping Battalion was largely the result of a Danish initiative; the first commander of the Baltic Defence College, which is still active in Tartu, was a Danish general.

Today, we are also closely linked by Nordic-Baltic cooperation. Given the current global trends, the so-called NB8 and the wider Baltic Sea Region are the most solid common value space we can rely on and count on today and especially in times of crisis.

Acting alone, each of us is small; acting together, we are a force to be reckoned with, we carry considerable weight, and we can respond to emerging challenges with greater speed, clarity and conviction.

Your Majesties,

Denmark is known and appreciated in Estonia not only as the homeland of hygge, but also as a country that values people and the environment.

The coziness, the joy of being together and happy in the moment, the closeness to nature, all the simple and natural pleasures that characterise hygge are also increasingly appreciated by Estonians as well.

We have learned to find joy even in bad weather. All of this grows our ability to adapt and to function as a nation and as a state, but also as part of the Mare Nostrum - the Baltic Sea - region.

I am glad to say that our cultural cooperation is also close. The Saaremaa Culture Festival on Bornholm, the concerts of the Tallinn Chamber Choir and Tõnu Kaljuste last year in Copenhagen and Aarhus Cathedral, where the music of Arvo Pärt was played, attracted a lot of attention in Denmark. Danish films and TV series are much loved in Estonia, and Estonia has participated in several Danish festivals with its films.

As a former rector of two universities, I am convinced that Estonian-Danish cooperation in education and research will continue to deepen. Good relations, especially between our technical universities and researchers, are an inspiring example of this.

Our people are focused on the use of technology and innovation. Without forgetting people at the same time. Every child in Estonia, and in fact every adult in Estonia, knows what Lego is and has played with Lego - that is the point of Lego - regardless of age, using their creativity and doing it in an organised way.

There are many things that unite us - the courage to address issues as they are, the protestant Nordic pragmatism, sober consideration of the situation. Even our topography is similar, with a long coastline and flat terrain. The list could go on and on. And that is how it should be between two close allies and partners.

I came across an interesting piece of information when I was waiting for you to visit Tallinn, the Danish city. Estonia's oldest known wooden door is located in the so-called King's Chapel in the Tallinn Cathedral. It dates back to the so-called Danish period, around 750-800 years ago. A prime example of Nordic quality.

This door is a servant that has seen different times, letting people in, protecting them, sending them on their way. May that door last and remain open both ways, so that we know where we come from and, more importantly, so that we know that there is a friend somewhere who we can count on and rely on, both now and in the future.

Your Majesties,

Let me now raise a glass to toast you and the friendship of Estonia and Denmark, and open doors.

Terviseks! Skål!