Russia, Ukraine, Europe and beyond – Objectives, Risks, Opportunities. The Charleston Library Society is honored to host Ambassador of Estonia, Kristjan Prikk, as part of our ongoing Ambassador R. L. Walker International Relations & Diplomacy Series that was initiated in 2021. In conjunction with Zeitgeist Foundation, we are pleased to partner in honoring the Anniversary of the German-French Friendship Treaty where their organization, along with the Alliance Française, invite an Ambassador of the E.U. (someone neither French nor German) to share insights of their perspectives on the European Union. In his third diplomatic posting to Washington, DC, Kristjan Prikk has served as Estonia’s Ambassador to the United States since May 2021.
Tickets: Members – $10 // General Admission – $15
To purchase, click here or call 843.723.9912 during Box Office Hours (11:00AM–4:00PM, Monday through Thursday).
About Ambassador Prikk:
Before assuming his current duties, Prikk served as the Permanent Secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Defense. Prior to becoming the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Prikk worked as Undersecretary for Defense Policy in the Ministry of Defense from July 2017 to August 2018. From 2015 to 2017 Mr. Prikk was the Director of National Security and the Defense Coordination Unit of the Estonian Government Office. He also served as Deputy Director of the same office for two years prior to becoming the Director in 2015. His previous Ministry of Defense assignments include serving as Defense Counsellor at the Estonian Embassy in Washington, D.C. (2010-2013) and as Director of International Cooperation Department in Tallinn (2007-2010). Mr. Prikk holds a Master’s degree from the United States Army War College and a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Tartu, Estonia. Mr. Prikk is married to Liis, with whom he has two daughters and a son.
Prior to joining the Ministry of Defense, Mr. Prikk worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on NATO issues mainly pertaining to its enlargement and its partnership with Russia, Ukraine, and Georgia in the Security Policy and Arms Control Bureau (2006-2007). Additionally, he has held assignments as a diplomat covering trade and economic issues at the Estonian Embassy in Washington (2002-2006) and as a foreign trade and World Trade Organization specialist at the Foreign Ministry’s headquarters in Tallinn (1999-2002).
He has been decorated with the Order of the White Star (4th Class) by the President of the Republic of Estonia, the Cross of Merit (1st Class) of the Ministry of Defense of Estonia, as well as other decorations from the Estonian Defense Forces, the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, and the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board, among others.
About the Ambassador R. L. Walker International Relations & Diplomacy Series:
During the summer of 2021, the Library Society received a very generous gift to establish a program series honoring a South Carolina scholar and diplomat, Richard L. (“Dixie”) Walker, who also happens to be the father of Anne W. Cleveland, a long-standing and transformative Executive Director at the Charleston Library Society. In 1981, Walker was chosen by President Ronald Reagan to serve as his ambassador to the Republic of Korea. After unanimous confirmation by the U. S. Senate, he served with distinction at that post until 1986, longer than any other American ambassador. Walker was on the faculty of Yale University when he was recruited by Governor Donald Russell to organize a new program in international studies at the University of South Carolina (USC) that he headed until 1972. In 1961, he founded the Institute of International Studies and headed it until 1981, as it grew into a preeminent national and international center of research, conferences, consultation and publications. In 1996, the Institute was renamed the Richard L. Walker Institute in his honor. The lecture series will cover a multitude of topics, and we hope that the viewers gain fresh perspectives on the challenges facing the intersecting spheres of international relations & diplomacy.
