In her acceptance speech at the Academy of Athens, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas noted that Lord Byron, the symbol of the Greek War of Independence, knew how important it is to fight for freedom. “Greece and Estonia both had to fight for freedom. We both also know that hard-won rights and freedom can be lost if not safeguarded,” said Kallas. “Russia is fighting another colonial war in Europe. Europe is living through difficult times – times that require extra cooperation among allies, partners, and friends across the world,” Kallas added.
According to the prime minister, today the Ukrainians are the ones who pay the highest price for freedom, but Ukraine has the bravery, will, and reason to fight. “It is our moral duty to do our utmost to help Ukraine because they also defend our values, principles, and democracy. Without our help, Ukraine cannot win. Without the victory of Ukraine, our values, freedoms, and democracy will be lost,” Kallas stressed.
“Most aggressors today are not threatened by arms; they are afraid of freedoms, ideas, and values and democracy. If we let the aggression pay off, we have accepted the end of Europe as we know it and the return of the age of empires,” Kallas said.
Kallas also noted that Estonia and Greece highly value multilateralism and strong alliances. “We both know through our own experience that strong trans-Atlantic integration is an important pillar of European security and stability. And it is our joint experience that EU enlargement is the best policy for positive transformation,” said Kallas. The prime minister added that this is why Estonia is committed to supporting Ukraine, as well as the countries of the Western Balkans, on their journey towards the EU and NATO.
Kaja Kallas also reminded the audience that democracy needs constant care. “Our liberal democracies need to deliver not only hope in a better future, but also tangible results to our people,” said Kallas. “In Estonia, e-services and a digital state are a good example. We have made innovation benefit democracy and the people,” said Kallas.
The prime minister also touched on climate change in her speech. “Climate change is one of the top concerns among people in Europe and in the world. We need to take much more decisive action to preserve biodiversity and the living environment for future generations,” said Kallas. Prime Minister Kallas expressed her condolences to Greece for the recent forest fires and major floods that devastated the country. These natural disasters are also a consequence of climate change.
The prize presented to Prime Minister Kaja Kallas is named after the British poet Lord George Gordon Byron. Byron took part in the Greek War of Independence and contributed to the birth of the modern Greek nation state. In Greece, he is seen as a hero who used his fame to make the fight for the independence of Greece bigger on the international stage.
Each prize winner will receive a silver medal, a diploma, and a scholarship of US $10,000 to be donated in their name to an institution of their choice. Kaja Kallas decided to donate her prize money to support Ukraine.
In addition to the Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, this year, the prize will also be awarded to the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and the Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Previous recipients include e.g. US Senator and former Secretary of State John Kerry, former French Minister of Culture and Education Jack Lang, former European Commission President and Prime Minister of Luxembourg Jean Claude Juncker, and former US Secretary of the Treasury Jack Lew.
More information on the prize: https://www.eefshp.org/en/awarding-of-the-international-lord-byron-prize-2023-2/
The speech by Prime Minister Kallas (in English): https://valitsus.ee/en/news/remarks-prime-minister-kaja-kallas-international-lord-byron-prize-ceremony
Photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/stenbockimaja/albums/72177720311804376
