Kristen Michal to discuss the challenges NATO will face in the coming decade at the opening of the Lennart Meri Conference

The 19th Lennart Meri Conference begins on Friday, 15 May. This year, the conference is titled "Fortune Favours the Brave" and focuses on how Europe can strengthen its security and remain a reliable ally and partner.

Prime Minister Kristen Michal will take part in the opening panel of the conference, "A Bridge Over Troubled Water: The Next Chapter in Transatlantic Cooperation". Other participants in the discussion include Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania, Thomas DiNanno, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control, Deterrence, and Stability, Boris Ruge, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs and Security Policy, and Jana Puglierin, Senior Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations. The panel will be moderated by Teri Schulz, freelance EU and NATO correspondent at Deutsche Welle.

The discussion, beginning at 5 p.m. on Friday, will be available via live stream: Lennart Meri Conference 2026: Fortune Favours the Brave.

Before the start of the conference, the Prime Minister will host his Albanian counterpart at Stenbock House during the bilateral visit to Estonia of the latter. The meeting will cover bilateral cooperation, EU integration, preparations for the NATO Ankara Summit, and the broader international situation. Among other things, Albania will host the NATO Summit in 2027.

The meeting will begin on 15 May at 10.30 a.m. Media representatives will have the opportunity to cover the arrival and the opening moments of the meeting of the delegations.

On Saturday, 16 May, the Prime Minister will meet with Jakov Milatović, President of Montenegro, at Stenbock House. The meeting will focus on bilateral cooperation, cooperation between the European Union and the Western Balkans, including the upcoming EU-Western Balkans Summit in Tivat, and the security situation in Europe.

The meeting will begin at 9.30 a.m., and media representatives will be able to photograph and film the arrival, the introduction of delegations, the house tour, the guestbook signing, the official photo opportunity, and the opening moments of the bilateral meeting.

At 10.30 a.m., Kristen Michal will meet Maia Sandu, President of Moldova, at Stenbock House. The discussion will focus on bilateral cooperation, EU enlargement, and the security situation in Europe, including hybrid threats. Media representatives will have the opportunity to cover the arrival, the house tour, the guestbook signing, the official photo opportunity, and the opening moments of the meeting.

In the afternoon, the Prime Minister will meet Ayman Safadi, Foreign Minister of Jordan, on the sidelines of the conference to discuss the situation in the Middle East and international cooperation.

Photographers and videographers wishing to cover the meetings at Stenbock House are requested to notify the organisers no later than Wednesday, 13 May, by sending their name, job title, media outlet, and personal identification code or ID document number to [email protected]. Please specify which meetings you wish to cover.

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