Estonian ambassador to Finland presents credentials
30.08.2010
No. 259-E
On Thursday, 26 August, the Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia to the Republic of Finland, Mart Tarmak, presented his credentials to Finnish President Tarja Halonen.
In the conversation that followed the ceremony, Tarmak emphasized the very good, particularly close relations between the countries. In congratulating Estonia on its accession to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the imminent adoption of the euro, Finnish President Tarja Halonen mentioned that Finland has benefited greatly from membership of both structures.
In an exchange on defense policy, Tarmak alluded to the strong commitment to public defense in both countries, expressed in the high support for general compulsory military service in both countries. Tarmak said he felt the meeting was lent a very home-like atmosphere by the extraordinary opportunity to speak Estonian with the Finnish head of state, as the conversation took place in Estonian and Finnish by turns.
Ambassador Tarmak and President Halonen also spoke of cooperation between European Union member states in the field of development cooperation and civilian aspects of crisis control.
Mart Tarmak was born in 1955 in Tallinn. In 1978, he graduated from the University of Tartu with a degree in chemistry. From 1981-1986 he studied journalism through a correspondence program offered by Vilnius University followed by Portuguese at the University of Lisbon from 1991-1992. From 1990-1992, Tarmak was the Estonian chargé d'affaires ad interim in Vilnius, and in 1992-1993 adviser at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 1995-1997 Tarmak served as adviser at the Ministry of Defence. From 1998-2003 Tarmak was a freelance interpreter. From 2003-2006, Tarmak was employed in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs political department. From 2006–2010 Tarmak was Estonia's Ambassador to Portugal and from 2008, the non-resident Ambassador to Morocco.
Tarmak is married with a grown son. Tarmak speaks English, Lithuanian, Finnish, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese and Latvian.
