Nordic Council of Ministers opens Russian-speaking branch in Estonia
“We want to make the people in and around Narva aware of Nordic co-operation and involve the Russian-speaking population in public debate by organising debates, presentations, and cultural events. To reach out to the Russian-speaking population in a credible and attractive way, we need a physical presence and to operate in Russian,” says Christer Haglund, director of the Nordic Council of Ministers’ office in Estonia.
Operations in Narva got underway at the beginning of the year, although the official launch took place on 16 February. The Nordic Council of Ministers is renting office space from Estonia’s first Russian-language television channel, ETV+, which launched in September 2015 and is partly funded by the council of ministers. ETV+ is also opening a studio in Narva.
To reach out to the Russian-speaking population in a credible and attractive way, we need a physical presence and to operate in Russian.“Together we can share our experiences and ideas and organise debates. We’re also sharing the costs, which makes both our operations financially sustainable,” Haglund says.
The Nordic Council of Ministers has had offices in Estonia for 25 years, but it is only now that the Russian-speaking population has become a clear focus area for the council of ministers’ activities. Nordic activities in the Narva region are also based on close co-operation with the town and region administration, Narva College, and the town’s youth centre.
Over the years, the Nordic Council of Ministers has supported the development of independent media in the Baltic Sea Region and, as part of these activities, last year the council of ministers also supported the launch of ETV+ by way of production support for e.g. societal debate programmes.
