President of Finland Alexander Stubb said he is very proud of his Estonian heritage in an interview with ERR.
Speaking to ETV’s “Pealtnägija” during an extensive interview to coincide with Estonian President Alar Karis’ state visit to Finland this week, Stubb was asked about his relationship with Estonia.
During Stubb’s 2024 state visit to Estonia, he was presented with a family tree showing that he has roots from both sides of the Gulf of Finland.
Asked if he knew much about this side of his ancestry, Stubb said he had participated in a TV show that looked into the “secrets” of his family tree and showed he had Estonian relatives on both sides of his family.
“And there was in the eighth direct line a musician who had been born in Estonia, but I didn’t know the extent to which it was there. I mean, I did know about the Buttenhofs and Breitensteins a little bit from my father’s side, but I didn’t know that that lineage also was from my mother’s side. And that was what took me by surprise,” he said.
“By the way, I have that tree in my private office at my residence on the wall right behind my desk. So I’m very proud of my Estonian heritage.”
You can watch the full interview here.
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