"In my view, the state visit to Kazakhstan by President Alar Karis of the Republic of Estonia and his delegation was both successful and constructive. A number of cooperation agreements were signed during the visit, primarily in the fields of economy and business — amounting to hundreds of millions of euros — and this may only be the beginning of a long-term partnership," Belobrovtsev told ERR.

He also described the education delegation as highly distinguished, noting that it included the rectors of nearly all Estonian universities and that it too was engaged in building fruitful cooperation with their Kazakh counterparts.

"The reception hosted by the Kazakh side in Astana alone showed that Estonia is treated with seriousness and warmth, despite the countries' difference in size and the considerable distance between them. The number of blue-black-and-white flags across Astana was impressive and the events attended by the president and members of the delegation drew large crowds. The fact that the face-to-face meeting between the two presidents lasted nearly twice as long as originally planned speaks for itself," Belobrovtsev said.

"Without a doubt, the visit can be considered a success and beneficial for the development of bilateral relations between our countries. As chair of the Estonia-Kazakhstan parliamentary group, it was important for me to meet with my counterpart, Berik Beisengaliev, to discuss the future and progress of interparliamentary relations. Kazakhstan is currently planning serious reforms to its parliamentary structure and has shown strong interest in our experience," Belobrovtsev said.

Belobrovtsev described the scandal involving recalled Ambassador Jaak Ora and President Alar Karis as overblown.

"I'm not entirely sure why a 'resignation request' was made to the now-former Estonian ambassador to Kazakhstan, who, according to media reports, merely conveyed the sentiments and thoughts of the host country to our president — which, in my view, is exactly what an ambassador is supposed to do. The decision on what to say or not say at a given event ultimately rests with the president, advised by his team," Belobrovtsev commented.

He added that the criticism directed at Karis suggests that election campaigning has already begun, both in the context of the 2026 presidential election and the 2027 Riigikogu election.

"What we're seeing is that the main critics of Karis come from the two governing coalition parties — the Reform Party and Eesti 200 — who have long found him disagreeable as president, partly because he has repeatedly refused to promulgate legislation pushed through parliament by those political forces. They are seconded by a major media group that seems to favor the policies of those two self-described liberal parties. Yet many of the criticisms appear arbitrary and contrived," Belobrovtsev said.

"I have not seen any indication that Alar Karis has deviated from Estonia's established and unified foreign policy line. Based on the information available, I tend to view these attacks on the president primarily as politically and electorally motivated," he added.

The confusion over foreign policy messaging emerged when, during President Alar Karis' state visit to Kazakhstan, the Estonian ambassador there, Jaak Ora, reportedly advised the president to omit key messages of support for Ukraine. On Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the ambassador had decided to resign.

Agreements

Egert Puhm, media adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that various cooperation agreements were signed during the visit, both between the two countries and their universities, as well as between Estonian and Kazakhstani companies.

He noted that the following memorandums of understanding were signed between ministries: a memorandum of understanding between customs authorities, a memorandum on digital cooperation, a memorandum between the climate ministries and a memorandum between the agriculture ministries on cattle breeding.

"In addition to the above, the presidents issued a joint statement that included support for the principles of the UN Charter and the pursuit of a just and lasting peace in Ukraine," Puhm said.

Cooperation memorandums signed at the business seminar included agreements between: Kazpost and Omniva, KazAzot Prime and Silsteve, KTZ Express and Silsteve, Nord Panels and Silsteve, Alstom Kazakhstan and SLD Consult, Aktobe Oil Refining and Olerex, the City of Almaty and Aquaphor Professional Kazakhstan, the City of Almaty and Bolt, KedenTransService and the Port of Tallinn, MGT MUUGA GRAIN TERMINAL and the Port of Kuryk and the Port of Tallinn.

Mariann Sudakov, head of the communications department at the Office of the President, said that the cost of a round-trip plane ticket for President Karis's visit to Kazakhstan was €3,000 per traveler and that each member of the delegation had their travel expenses covered by their employer or the sending organization.

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