Ambassador Celia Kuningas: diplomacy is an endurance sport

Ambassador Celia Kuningas-Saagpakk, who leads Estonia's presidency of the NB8 format, considers the summit of heads of state held in Tallinn a success. Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky attended the meeting. The diplomat describes presidency work as a task requiring patience and persistence.

An experienced diplomat and ambassador coordinating Estonia's presidency of the NB8 regional cooperation format of Nordic and Baltic states, Celia Kuningas-Saagpakk had reason for satisfaction this week: the NB8 heads of state summit held in Tallinn went successfully. The meeting's most important guest was Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky.

Diplomacy as an endurance sport

Kuningas-Saagpakk has characterised her work with an apt comparison: diplomacy is an endurance sport of patience and persistence. This means lengthy preparation, careful coordination, and the ability to maintain focus even when circumstances change. Estonia's NB8 presidency has given the country the opportunity to shape a joint action plan for eight nations at a critical moment for European security.

Tallinn summit brought together leaders of eight nations

The NB8, or Nordic-Baltic cooperation format, unites Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland. This week's summit in Tallinn was significant both for regional security and for support for Ukraine. Zelensky's participation gave the meeting special weight and underscored the unity of NB8 nations on the Ukraine question.

According to Kuningas-Saagpakk, Estonia's presidency of the NB8 format has required intensive behind-the-scenes work over months. The success of the Tallinn summit is recognition of the entire team that worked to organise it.