Alar Karis took the oath of office here on Monday as the new president of Estonia.

At the inauguration ceremony held in the country's Parliament (Riigikogu), outgoing Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid said that she was "honored" to have served her country for five years.

In his first speech as president, Karis touched upon a broad spectrum of topics ranging from the need for Estonia to maintain good relations with its allies through the difficulties caused by the high electricity prices to families in the country to his desire for a strong and united Europe.

Karis, 63, was elected Estonia's fifth president since the country's independence in 1991 with 72 votes of the required 68 in the second round of voting held in the country's 101-member Parliament on Aug. 31.

Karis is a native of Tartu, the second largest city in Estonia.

He is a molecular geneticist and developmental biologist, who embarked on an academic career after graduating from the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu. He became a professor there in 1999, and later the rector.

Karis was appointed as Estonia's auditor general in March 2013 and, after completing his tenure, became director of the Estonian National Museum in October 2017.