Overview of Worldwide Bilateral Relations

Overview of worldwide bilateral relations

North America, Western and South Europe The year 2006 culminated in two very high-level visits to Estonia, which crowned the long-term good and fruitful relations that Estonia has had with the United Kingdom and the United States. These visits will very deﬁ nitely leave an impressive imprint in the history of Estonia’s foreign relations.

On 19–20 October 2006, the head of state of the United Kingdom, Queen Elizabeth II, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, paid a state visit to Estonia. This was the ﬁ rst time that a British monarch visited the Republic of Estonia. The visit was in recognition of the good cooperative relationship that exists between the two countries, and of Estonia as a reliable partner in the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

In the course of their visit, the royal couple met with President Toomas Hendrik Ilves; at the Maritime Museum they commemorated the British sailors who had fallen in the Estonian War of Independence (1918–1920) with a moment of silence at their memorial plaque; met with the Estonian Afghanistan military contingent; and, aboard the warship HMS Liverpool, unveiled the ofﬁ cial emblem of the ﬁ rst Sandown class mine- sweeper that Estonia is buying from the UK. This warship, which will arrive in Estonia during the year 2007, will be named the Admiral Cowan in honour of Rear Admiral Walter Cowan, who had commanded the British naval squadron in the Estonian War of Independence. The highlight of the visit proved to be the concert in the Town Hall Square, at which the royal couple was introduced to Estonia’s choral singing tradition by a 700 member mixed chorus formed especially for this event. In honour of the royal couple, President and Mrs Ilves gave a festive dinner in the historical Blackheads’ House, in the centre of Tallinn’s picturesque Old Town. At the reception hosted by the UK’s ambassador, Nigel Haywood, in KUMU, Estonia’s new national gallery, the internationally acclaimed Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir performed, conducted by Paul Hillier. The foreign minister of the UK, Margaret Beckett, who accompanied the royal couple on their visit, had a separate working lunch with Estonia’s foreign minister, Urmas Paet.

The highlight of the relations with the United States was, no doubt, the visit that President George W. Bush paid in November to Estonia, accompanied by Secretary of

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State Condoleezza Rice, National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, and several other senior White House ofﬁ cials. President Bush met with President Ilves and Prime Min- ister Andrus Ansip. In conjunction with the NATO Summit that began the next day in Riga, the meeting in Tallinn was also devoted to the promoting of democracy, as well as to Estonia’s role in this endeavour and the example we are able to set for the countries undergoing a reform process in the EU’s neighbourhood. President Bush also met with outstanding Estonians who, with advice or other resources, have gone to aid countries that are reconstructing themselves. The US president praised Estonia’s successful economic reforms, as well as thanked Estonia for the help that we have given to the strengthening of freedom and democracy in the world, and especially for our participation in the missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Estonia, in turn, thanked the US for its non-recognition of the Soviet occupation of Estonia, and for the support that we received during our accession to NATO. Estonia’s and America’s common values and unwavering friendship were again conﬁ rmed and reinforced by the spirit of unity that the visit generated.

28 August was the 15th anniversary of the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between Germany and the Baltic states, and the 85th anniversary of the original establishing of diplomatic relations. To mark the occasion, a symposium and an appropriate exhibit were organised at the German foreign ministry. The symposium’s keynote speaker was Germany’s former foreign minister, Hans Dietrich Genscher. Estonia was represented by the Foreign Ministry’s secretary general, Matti Maasikas, and by a prominent member of the Riigikogu (Estonian parliament), Mart Laar, who is also a former prime minister.

The year 2006 also brought with it many essential visits in the sphere of Estonian- German relations, which conﬁ rms the continued existence of a very good mutual relationship. On 3 February, in Berlin, within the framework of the annual 3+1 consultations, the foreign ministers of the Baltic states and Germany met. In the course of the ninth meeting of this kind, the Baltic and German colleagues concentrated upon the future of the European Union; the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP); the situation in the Western Balkans; and upon something that is on everyone’s mind these days – energy policy. Foreign Minister Paet also had a bilateral meeting with his German colleague.

On 3–5 April, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip paid a visit to Germany, in the course of which, many interesting meetings took place. The most noteworthy was with Chan- cellor Angela Merkel, where the main topics for discussion were the future of the European Union, as well as the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP). In Berlin, the prime minister also met with the German ministers of ﬁ nance and economic affairs. Prime Minister Ansip also decorated the former chancellor, Helmut

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Kohl, with the 1st Class Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, which had been awarded to Chancellor Kohl by the Estonian president, for having supported Estonia’s aspirations towards independence.

On 3–4 April, Prime Minister Ansip also had a chance to visit the German state of Saxony, where he met the local prime minister, Georg Milbradt. Together they visited the historical Frauenkirche church in Dresden.

A continued great interest in Estonia is providing excellent opportunities for expand- ing cultural, press, and educational contacts in Germany. In the course of 2006, the Estonian Embassy and its cultural attaché were able to organise a great many cultural events, like various exhibitions and literary evenings. Several large-scale concerts also took place, which were conducted by internationally acclaimed Estonian conductors Anu Tali, Eri Klas, and Paavo Järvi. In October, Mr. Järvi assumed the position of head conductor the prestigious symphony orchestra Hessische Rundfunk. Noteworthy is the fact that an Estonian, Mihkel Kütson, won the new German Conductor Prize, which was awarded for the ﬁ rst time in 2006. An important event for promoting Es- tonia took place in Hamburg on 5–7 May, when the city’s harbour celebrated its 817th anniversary (817 Hafengeburtstag Hamburg), where Estonia was the guest of honour of the celebrations.

On 15 November, the new Estonian embassy building was opened in the Nether- lands. At the festive opening ceremony in The Hague, Foreign Minister Paet stressed that an embassy does not just embody political and diplomatic relations, but its function is to also form a bridge between the people of the two countries. Estonia’s new, digniﬁ ed Embassy will, no doubt, perform this function very well. A conﬁ rmation of the very good bilateral relations between Estonia and the Netherlands was also the working meeting that was held between the foreign ministers of the two states before the opening of the embassy building. The matters discussed at the meeting between Bernard Bot and Urmas Paet were the bilateral relations of the two countries, as well as questions dealing with the EU and NATO.

In September, Portugal’s deputy foreign minister, Manuel Lobo Antunes, with Prime Minister Ansip also being present, opened the Portuguese Embassy in Tallinn. Thanks to the energetic activity of the Portuguese Embassy, several events took place in Esto- nia, which helped to popularise Portuguese culture. A very positive step in the development of bilateral relations was the concluding of cooperation agreements between Portugal’s Camões Institute and the Estonian universities in Tartu and Tallinn. This will ensure the teaching of Portuguese in these Estonian institutions of higher learning, as well as the availability of appropriate textbooks and other learning materials. In December 2006, Prime Minister Ansip paid a working visit to Portugal.

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In 2006, several cultural events, organised by the Spanish Embassy, took place in Tallinn. And in May, Spain’s minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Miguel Angel Moratinos, visited Tallinn.

On 3 April the Secretary General of the Estonian foreign ministry Matti Maasikas opened the third Estonian Honorary Consulate in Greece, in the harbour city of Patra. The new honorary consul, Mrs. Irene Panagopoulus, is one of the co-owners of the shipping company Superfast Ferry. Within the framework of the secretary general’s visit to Greece, the two states concluded on 4 April an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation and the prevention of ﬁ scal evasion with respect to taxes on income and on capital.

Estonia’s good relations with Cyprus culminated, in the second half of the year, in high-level visits. On 5 October, the foreign minister of Cyprus, Geoorge Lillikas, who had assumed ofﬁ ce in June, paid a working visit to Estonia. A few weeks later, on 23–25 October, Prime Minister Ansip paid an ofﬁ cial visit to Cyprus. Within the framework of the visit, a photo exhibit depicting Estonian scenery was organised.

Estonia’s relations with Turkey have been very good and active, and stretch as far back as 1935, when Turkey’s ambassador, Nuri Batu, presented his credentials. This was at a time when there were only nine residing ambassadors in Tallinn, and Turkey, itself, had only 20 embassies in the various countries of the world. In May of 2006, thanks to the endeavours of the Turkish Embassy, Estonians had the chance to enjoy the Turkish Cultural Days in Tallinn.

Estonia’s support for Turkey in the course of the European Union accession negotiations has been steady, since we want to see Turkey, once it has fulﬁ lled all of the accession criteria, as an EU member. On 6 December, Turkey’s minister of state and chief EU negotiator, Ali Babacan, visited Estonia to give an overview of the progress of his country’s talks with the EU. On 5–8 April, Foreign Minister Paet paid an of- ﬁ cial visit to Turkey, and on 12–14 July, the minister participated in the opening of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline. And, it must, of course, be noted that for four months, from March to July of 2006, Turkey, on a rotation basis, carried out NATO air policing in the airspace of the three Baltic states.

On 10 August, a memorandum was signed in Tallinn between Estonia, France, Lux- embourg, Belgium, and the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) concerning a long-term cooperative programme for teaching French to Estonian civil servants dealing with European matters. To implement this, an appropriate programme for teaching French, which would be focused upon European issues, and would be an extension of already functioning French teaching programmes that have heretofore encompassed 2500 civil servants, will be introduced. The new programme

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provides for the teaching of French to Estonian civil servants in the course of three years. The target group would be about 250 civil servants per half-year term. In cooperation with OIF, it will be possible to send up to ﬁ ve high-level ofﬁ cials to either France or Belgium for supplementary language training.

Northern and Central Europe In the Nordic-Baltic region the year 2006 was rich in signiﬁ cant foreign policy events. This was primarily due to two things – the Finnish presidency of the EU in the second half of the year and the NATO summit in Riga in November. Both of them offered Es- tonia new opportunities to acquire new experiences in the sphere of foreign policy.

Ever since the Hanseatic times, a characteristic of the Nordic-Baltic region has been a disposition towards dynamic economic development and integration. In today’s glo- balising world the abolition of economic barriers, but also the free movement of capital, services and labour are becoming ever more important for maintaining competitiveness. Having consistently supported these fundamental values of the EU, Estonia welcomed in May 2006 the decision of Finland, of some other so-called old member states of the EU and Iceland to open their labour markets for Estonian citizens.

Regional integration continues also through cooperation in the ﬁ eld of energy. At the end of the year the construction of an underwater power cable between Estonia and Finland, called ESTLINK, in which also Latvia and Lithuania are partners, was com- pleted. Thus the three Baltic countries became connected via the Nordic countries to the joint European energy system. At the same time the project of a new nuclear power station is under way in Lithuania, in which also Latvia and Estonia participate, and which is expected to ensure the energy supply of the region in the coming decades.

In the context of the EU, regional cooperation is conducted also in the NB6 format, which has proved its efﬁ cacy both at the level of civil servants and politicians. Within the NB6 format standpoints are coordinated and both domestic and foreign policy issues discussed. In this context, for example, Estonia and Sweden have identical views on many issues, including enlargement of neighbourhood policy. This inspired the foreign ministers of the two countries to write jointly an article on enlargement, which was published both in Estonian and German press before the enlargement discussions of the EU in December.

From the point of view of the defence capabilities of the region, Estonia’s participation in the Nordic Battlegroup is of great importance. The lead nation of the Nordic Battlegroup, which was established in the framework of the CFSP, is Sweden, and its other members are Finland and Norway. The Battlegroup is expected to be on standby

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during the ﬁ rst half of 2008. Sweden has already requested Estonia to participate also in the next battlegroup which is supposed to be ready by the beginning of 2011. Estonia has given a provisional positive response to the Swedish request. Estonia’s membership in NATO has increased our political credibility – Estonian Embassy in Helsinki has been NATO’s contact embassy in Finland since September 2004. In 2007 the Estonian Embassy in Sweden has the same role to play in Sweden.

Trilateral development cooperation is one of the themes often tabled at regional meetings of different levels. The Nordic countries who have rich experience of acting as donor states are in the fi rst place interested in contributing to the passing on of Esto- nia’s reform experience to those states who are today in the same situation as Estonia was 15 years ago. In 2006 a number of trilateral development cooperation projects for priority target countries (Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova) were continued, but there were also new partners. In the fi rst half of the year the fi rst Estonian-Icelandic joint development cooperation project was launched – a programme for training Georgian police at the Estonian Academy of Public Safety. At various stages of the project also Finland and the UN have made their contributions. As one of the goals of the Estonian foreign policy is to continue and increase our development aid, it seems only natural that this kind of trilateral cooperation will gather new impetus in the coming years.

In 2006 the close cooperation between the foreign policy institutions of the Nordic and Baltic countries continued, including bilateral consultations with the experts of the foreign ministries of all the countries of the Nordic-Baltic region concerning different foreign policy issues. The growing integration of the NB8 group encompasses every year more and more ﬁ elds of activities. In 2006 the secretaries-general of the foreign ministries of the NB8 countries agreed to coordinate the future cooperation regarding joint use of each others’ foreign representations. That kind of cooperation is of interest not only to the Baltic, but also to the Nordic countries. A good example of this kind of cooperation is the fact that an Estonian consular diplomat has been posted at the Embassy of Finland in New Delhi. The next step will be the posting of an Estonian diplomat at the Swedish Embassy in Egypt (Cairo) with a view to starting preparations for setting up the ﬁ rst Estonian Embassy in the Middle East. Estonia on its part has offered working facilities for some Nordic diplomat(s) in its Embassy in Georgia.

Relations with Finland received in 2006 an extra dimension owing to the Finnish Presidency of the EU in the second half of the year. During the Finnish Presidency a number of Estonian civil servants, including two diplomats, had the opportunity for practice in Finnish state institutions. In connection with the Finnish Presidency several speciﬁ c events were organised in Estonia. Of these, a joint conference about the Northern Dimension and an Estonian-Finnish joint seminar on issues of border security were the most outstanding ones.

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In Estonian-Finnish relations, the construction of the aforementioned underwater cable, establishing a professorship of the Finnish language and culture at Tartu uni- versity, negotiations about further cooperation concerning the reduction of the emis- sion of greenhouse gases were the highlights of the year. Cooperation was started also between the population registers of the two countries and in the preparatory work for setting up Estonian Development Fund. In cooperation with Finnish experts a plan for the development of ice-breaking activities in Estonian waters in the period of 2006–2013 was worked out. In the sphere of culture the signing of a cooperation memorandum by the representatives of Tallinn and Turku was a notable event – the two cities will be the European Capitals of Culture of the year 2011.

Bilateral institutional cooperation was also last year largely based on the report “Es- tonia and Finland in the European Union” which was drawn up in 2003. At a cabinet meeting of the Estonian government in November it was noted that most of the rec- ommendations put forward in the report have already been implemented. Therefore there are plans in 2007 to work out a follow-up report, which would envisage a strategy for further economic integration between Estonia and Finland and the development of cooperation model based on research, development and innovation. This would also constitute Estonia’s and Finland’s joint contribution to the strengthening of the competitiveness of the whole Baltic Sea region. On 28 August 2006, a symposium which focused on a comparison of the Estonian and the Finnish economic models and the outlooks of knowledge-based economy arranged by the Finnish think-tank EVA was held in Tallinn. In the sum-up of the symposium it was noted, that there are quite a few areas in which Estonia and Finland have something to learn from each other. Among other things Finnish business leaders expressed their acknowledge- ment of the transparency of the Estonian tax system. A month later, on 26 September, the Estonian Chamber of Commerce, the Embassy of Finland and Enterprise Estonia held a seminar on promotion of trade and economic relations between Estonia and Finland. Last year saw also a growing interest of Estonian businessmen in making investments in Finland.

In relations with Sweden last year saw a continued growth of the network of honorary consulates. In August Foreign Minister Urmas Paet opened in Gothenburg the ﬁ fth Estonian honorary consulate in Sweden. The Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt opened in November a Swedish honorary consulate in our second largest city Tartu.

In 2007 Estonia is going to be more visible in the Swedish media than usual, because Estonia will be in focus at the popular international Göteborg Book Fair which is visited by 100 000 people every autumn. Estonia will be the featured country at the Book Fair 2007, and therefore a whole series of events connected with Estonian culture in a broader sense has been launched in order to present also Estonian music, art,

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theatre and ﬁ lm to the Swedish public. At the same time, it should be noted that the historic Swedish community in Estonia, which was strong and active before WW II but became almost extinct as a result of the tragic developments during and after the war, is gathering strength. In October 2006, a museum of Swedish cultural heritage was opened at the Swedish St. Michael’s Church in Tallinn. The bulk of the objects exhibited in the museum comprises church property originating from different pre- war Swedish congregations of Estonia which was returned to Estonia by the Swedish Museum of History.

Bilateral relations with both Denmark and Norway continued in the traditional busi- nesslike manner and without problems. A major sphere of common interest with Denmark at international level is the context of peacekeeping missions. Cooperation continued in one of the worst crisis areas of the world – Afghanistan – where both Estonia and Denmark are engaged in the southern part of the country.

Norway which in 2006 presided at the Nordic Council of Ministers acted also as the unoffi cial president of the NB8 (Nordic and Baltic countries). This left also its mark on Estonia’s relations with Norway last year, which were characterised by a large number of visits and meetings. Of bilateral themes cooperation within the framework of the European Economic Area (EEA) and preparatory work for the utilization of subsidies of the EEA and Norwegian fi nancial mechanisms should be mentioned. Those Estonian projects which were approved in the course of the preparatory stage will receive their fi nancing during 2007.

Relations with Iceland were given a special symbolic touch by the visit of the prime minister of Iceland, Geir Hilmar Haarde, on August 21–23 to celebrate a historic occasion – the 15th anniversary of the day on which the Republic of Iceland as the ﬁ rst country in the world recognised Estonia’s restored independence. To mark this historic event the prime ministers of the two countries on 22 August unveiled on the wall of the ministry of foreign affairs a memorial plaque dedicated to Iceland.

Estonia’s relations with Latvia and Lithuania developed in 2006 towards a deeper integration which is marked by the growing inﬂ uence of the EU dimension on bilateral relations. Estonia’s relations with Latvia are characterised by open-minded discussions and consultations on all essential developments and issues in Europe and the world at large. Regular meetings and consultations between the heads of departments of various ministries have become an integral element of Estonian-Latvian cooperation. At the same time several high-level visits were also exchanged.

Trade with both Latvia and Lithuania has been growing from year to year. Latvia’s central position and its larger market have lured Estonian businessmen to ﬁ nd new

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challenges on the Latvian but also on the Lithuanian market. In 2006 the trade turn- over with both Latvia and Lithuania increased by almost 20%. It should also be mentioned that last year Estonians became the largest foreign investors in Latvian economy. The number of enterprises started by Estonian capital in Latvia is nearly 1200. The growing cooperation between Estonian-Latvian border regions is also acquiring a broader dimension, be it the utilisation of the trade potential of the region in connection with Russia’s becoming a member of the WTO, or the transportation of Asian goods to Europe. A good example of Estonian-Latvian cross-border cooperation is that between the border towns Valga and Valka, which among other things comprises cooperation between the police authorities of the two cities.

When speaking about the relations with the Visegrad countries, good mutual understanding based on common experience from the recent past, and close cooperation at both bilateral and multilateral level can be brought forward as the characteristic features. In 2006 a regional dimension was added to the said characteristics: the foreign ministers of the Visegrad group and of the Baltic countries met in the course of the year on several occasions in order to coordinate their actions regarding topical issues like the cancellation of the visa requirement by the US or the extension of the Schen- gen area. Deﬁ nitely this cooperation will remain useful also in the coming years.

A special chapter in the cooperation with the Visegrad countries is cultural exchange, which was especially active with the Czech Republic. In 2006 a variety of Estonian music groups ranging from folk music to modern jazz performed in Czech concert halls. One of Estonia’s most renowned orchestras Hortus Musicus participated in the international festival “The Prague Autumn”. The works of Arvo Pärt and Erkki Sven Tüür, two well-known Estonian composers, were performed at the Hradec Kralove music forum.

Relations with Poland were traditionally active – visits were paid by the speaker of the parliament, prime minister, foreign minister and commander of the defence forces during 2006. The central themes of Estonian-Polish meetings and consultations have been the neighbourhood policy of the EU, relations with Russia, the enlargement of the EU and energy security. The fact that both Estonia and Poland regard the EU’s eastern neighbours as one of their foreign policy priorities give us new areas of cooperation, e.g. trilateral development aid projects in Belarus, Moldova or Ukraine. With a view to the future, it is in Estonia’s interest to continue consultations between foreign ministries and defence ministries at a working level. In 2006 Estonia’s representation in Poland expanded also to the southern regions of the country – in June the third Estonian honorary consulate in Poland was opened in the historic city of Krakow.

In 2006 there were numerous contacts with Hungary, including and at the highest level. In March Hungary’s President Laszlo Solyom paid a state visit to Estonia, during

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which alongside traditional bilateral issues and problems of the Finno-Ugric peoples, also EU matters were discussed, in particular the common energy policy of the EU which has become one of the burning issues in today’s Europe. It should also be mentioned that in November, when the 50th anniversary of the Hungarian revolution was commemorated in Budapest, Estonia was represented at the highest level – it was the ﬁ rst visit abroad of the newly elected President Toomas Hendrik Ilves.

In relations with Slovakia close contacts continued both at the top level and at a working level in the form of political consultations. Estonia is particularly interested in Slovakia’s experience of the Western Balkans. This together with the both countries’ interest in the EU’s eastern policy provide an excellent basis for a deeper cooperation between Estonia and Slovakia. One of the notable events during 2006 was the exhibi- tion of Estonian architecture at the Slovak National Gallery in Bratislava. The exhibi- tion which was entitled Estonian Home 2002-2006, was arranged in cooperation with The Estonian Embassy in Vienna.

Estonia and Slovenia share a number of viewpoints on topical EU issues. Slovenia is presently in the process of reforming its economy and resorts in several areas to the Estonian experience. On the other hand, the Slovenian experience of the transition to the euro could be of interest to Estonia. In addition, the Slovenian Presidency of the EU which begins on January 1, 2008, is quite close already.

For both Bulgaria and Romania the year 2006 was of major historic signifi cance – their process of accession to the European Union reached completion, and since 1 January 2007 the two countries are members of the Union. The mutual interest between Estonia and the said countries, both as regards offi cial and grassroots level contacts, has been growing steadily over the past few years. Also tourism has increased lately, as well as investors’ interest. Despite the limited number of high-level visits, contacts between experts in different fi elds have increased constantly. Last year the number of mutual visits and contacts between the parliaments of Estonia and Bulgaria and Romania grew especially quickly. While Bulgaria and Romania are in the fi rst place interested in Esto- nia’s experience of integration into European structures, Estonia in its turn is primarily interested in the experience of the two countries of themes connected with the Black Sea and Balkans region.

A milestone of 2006 was the expansion of Estonia’s network of missions abroad to the Balkans. Thus in November the prime minister of Estonia opened an embassy in the Bulgarian capital Soﬁ a. The prime minister was accompanied by a business delegation and during the visit an Estonian-Bulgarian business seminar was held. As a result the mutual interest in investment has shown rapid growth.

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Eastern Europe and Central Asia Estonia views its policy towards Russia through the prism of the European Union and favours a further deepening of the relations between the EU and Russia. These relations are based on a strategic partnership, which presupposes shared values and a frank dialogue on all issues. Both Estonia and the EU are interested in a democratic, stable and predictable Russia. Economic relations form a large and visible part of the EU-Russia relations, yet equally important are other issues, for example human rights and environmental questions. For the successful managing of such a multiple range of issues, a balanced and uniﬁ ed policy of the EU towards Russia is required.

One of the most important developments of 2006 was the work on the preparation of the new EU-Russia agreement to replace the 1997 Partnership and Cooperation agreement. Work on the EU mandate for the negotiations on the agreement will continue in 2007. It is in the common interest of the EU to have a mandate based on a strong internal agreement and to start negotiations with Russia as soon as possible.

We welcome the active contacts between Russia and the European Union on a wide range of issues. Both sides regard this relationship as highly important, even though not in all areas desirable results have been achieved. Questions have been raised by the EU about some developments. Among such issues are the concerns about the freedom of the media and restrictions on the activities of NGOs. The way Russia has used energy as a means of putting pressure on other countries, notably Ukraine and recently Belarus, has attracted wide attention. There is an impression that Russia regards the advance of democracy in its neighbouring countries more as a threat to its security and interests, rather than a welcome development. It is important to continue a frank dialogue with Russia on such issues.

Although the EU agenda covers most of the important questions related to Russia, we do not underestimate the importance of developing bilateral relations. For success, this needs mutual interest and wish to cooperate. Although high-level contacts have been few, at the practical level cooperation is working well. There is close cooperation between various agencies, including border guard, customs, veterinary and food authorities. There has been fast growth in trade and in the number of Russian tourists visiting Estonia. A positive achievement was the opening by Russia of the river ports of Pskov and Storozhinets for international shipping trafﬁ c. Cultural relations are as active as ever. In November 2006 a Russian theatre festival “Zolotaja maska” took place in Tallinn. Although the relations on a working level are normal, a dialogue between neighbours should be more consistent and Estonia for its part is ready for this.

Ukraine is one of Estonia’s priority partner countries in foreign policy and also in the development cooperation. The bilateral cooperation covers a wide range of different topics from political support to Ukraine to practical economic cooperation. As a friend

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of Ukraine, Estonia appreciates the achievements of Ukraine in the strengthening of democracy and the further crystallisation of Ukraine’s foreign and security policy goals.

Estonia has consistently supported the open doors policy of the European Union and NATO. Both organisations serve the purpose of broadening the sphere of democracy and security, increased welfare and wider opportunities – thus bringing more welfare and security for all. Today’s Ukraine has clearly expressed its European aspiration. The EU has responded to this by starting negotiations on the PCA and visa facilita- tion. The EU is ready to start free trade negotiations as Ukraine joins the WTO. The European Union intends to make the European Neighbourhood policy more attractive to its partners (including Ukraine) by offering better trade and investment prospects, facilitating people-to-people contacts and travel possibilities, opening up more ﬁ - nancing possibilities etc. Estonia supports the further strengthening of the ENP.

Ukraine is interested in cooperation with NATO at its own pace. Estonia respects Ukraine’s choices, understanding that Ukraine needs time for making decisions. Ulti- mately it remains for Ukraine to decide whether to prefer for instance a European free trade agreement to the CIS common economic space, or NATO membership to the CIS collective security agreement.

Estonia is prepared to share its experience with Ukraine. As before, Estonia arranged in the autumn of 2006 for the students of the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine a two-week training course on the accession to the EU and NATO. In cooperation with Sweden, in 2006/2007 seven Ukrainian students can attend training at the Estonian School of Diplomacy. Training on the EU is offered also to the Ukrainian ofﬁ cials working with the EU issues, experts of the Ukrainian Laboratory of Food Quality and Safety ofﬁ cials of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry etc.

The good bilateral relations are illustrated by several visits. In December 2006 President Yushchenko visited Estonia. At the meetings the Ukrainian president and Estonia’s political leaders discussed topics ranging from Ukraine’s aspirations towards NATO and the EU to cooperation in the ﬁ eld of energy. The leaders also discussed the ways how Estonia could support Ukraine. The fact that the Ukrainian president held a speech to the Estonian parliament Riigikogu, emphasised Ukraine’s importance in Estonia’s foreign policy and Estonia’s interest towards Ukraine. In October Ukraine’s foreign minister Boris Tarasyuk visited Estonia, participating in the conference arranged by the Riigikogu, “Common values and interests in intercommunication between the EU and its neighbours”. The Ukrainian and Estonian foreign ministers also signed a joint communiqué on the cooperation in the ﬁ eld of Euro-Atlantic integration. In January 2007, during the visit of Estonia’s prime minister to Ukraine a framework agreement on the economic cooperation between Estonia and Ukraine was signed.

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Moldova belongs to the priority partner countries of Estonia’s foreign policy and development cooperation. Moldova has taken a course on integration with Europe. Its development is, however, overshadowed by the Transnistria confl ict. Negotiations lasting over several years and numerous peace plans have not brought a solution. The search for a solution is complicated by the continued presence of Russian troops in contradiction to the decisions of the 1999 OSCE summit in Istanbul about the full and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops. The fulfi lment of these obligations by Russia is a question of the credibility of the OSCE. The withdrawal of troops is an important factor for both the free development of Moldova and for the solution of the Transnistria confl ict.

Estonia’s position is that the Transnistria conﬂ ict must be resolved with peaceful means and honouring the territorial integrity of Moldova. The current model of peacekeeping by CIS forces must be reviewed as it does not meet international standards. The new model should create trust between Transnistria and Moldova. Therefore the European Union should consider a possibility of taking the lead of the peacekeeping in the new format. At the same time, an EU or EU-led mission does not exclude Russia’s participation.

The Transnistria issue affects the security situation in the whole region. It is important for Moldova to focus on the domestic reforms in order to improve the socioeco- nomic situation, strengthen the ties with the European Union and reduce the negative impact of the Transnistria problem on the development of the country. On the other hand, continued EU support to the transformation of Moldova is required.

Estonia regards as highly important the European Neighbourhood Policy with its main goal – building up of a democratic civil society in the new neighbouring countries, including Moldova. At the same time it is in Moldova’s interest to create effectively functioning state institutions, properly functioning market economy, an independent and effective justice system, to ensure the functioning of the open civil society and effective ﬁ ght against corruption.

A positive example of the EU-Moldova cooperation is the EU border support mission (EUBAM), which contributes to the increase of the capability of the border guard and customs services of Ukraine and Moldova, prevents cross-border illegal trade and reduces the number of related corruption cases. Estonia is represented in the EUBAM with ﬁ ve ofﬁ cials.

Within the framework of the EU-Moldova relations Estonia and Moldova have become good neighbours and cooperation partners. The bilateral relations intensiﬁ ed in 2006. President Rüütel visited Moldova in March, foreign minister Paet in October. An honorary consulate of Estonia was opened in Chisinau. In September an Estonian diplomat started working at the foreign ministry of Moldova as an expert with a task to offer

109 2006 ESTONIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS YEARBOOK

advice to the ministry primarily in the areas related to the European Union. Estonia con- siders it important that Moldova would channel its political vigour into the sustainable development of the reform process. The Moldovan ofﬁ cials are introduced to the experience of Estonia, which they can use also in the work on Moldova’s reform process.

The current low state of the EU relations with Belarus is refl ected clearly also in Estonia’s bilateral relations with Belarus. Estonia supports the EU’s “double track” approach – restrictions on the leadership on one hand, support and assistance to the building up of the civic society on the other hand. This approach was reinforced by the presidential elections of 2006, which were neither free nor fair. The EU continues its sanctions against the president of Belarus Lukashenka and the offi cials who have been directly involved in the breach of the election standards and human rights. In November the Commission presented to Belarus a document which outlines the steps that would be taken by the EU to the benefi t of Belarus, if Minsk would confi rm its readiness for democratisation and the improvement of the human rights situation.

Estonia’s view is that in spite of the ruling regime of Belarus we should continue the support to the democratic forces and maintain the pressure on the regime in the human rights issue. In 2006 ten students who were expelled from the universities of Belarus for political reasons could continue their studies in Estonia.

The interest of the European Union in Georgia has recently considerably increased. This has been caused by Georgia’s positive reform agenda, the enlargement of the EU, and the increased interest of the new member states towards the security policy developments in the Southern Caucasus. In 2004 the European Union decided to invite the Southern Caucasus countries to join the European Neighbourhood Policy. The ENP Action Plans with the three countries were signed in November 2006. The Georgia ENP Action Plan outlines the most important priorities of Georgia’s development. One of the leading priorities is the peaceful resolution of the South Ossetia and Abkhazia frozen confl icts, respecting the principle of the territorial integrity of Geor- gia. The EU Security Strategy states that violent or frozen confl icts in Europe’s neighbourhood are a threat to the security of the whole region. Thus, there is a need for the EU to be involved in the efforts to resolve the confl icts. The years-long presence of the CIS peacekeeping forces and the work of the existing negotiating mechanisms have not resulted in the improvement of the situation, which is still characterised by high tensions and volatility. This also illustrates the need for the EU to increase its contribution to the search of solutions.

The situation was further complicated by the so-called spy scandal in the Georgia- Russia relations, to which in our assessment Russia reacted in an extremely tough and disproportionate manner, by cutting off diplomatic, political and economic relations

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with Georgia. Although the tempers have cooled by the beginning of 2007, Russia has not lifted its ban on Georgian goods, and the relations between the two countries are still highly tense. Estonia followed the aggravation of the conﬂ ict between Russia and Georgia with concern and together with her EU partners called on both sides to normalise the situation.

The European Union contributes to the search of a solution to the frozen confl icts fi rst of all through the work of the EU Special Representative for South Caucasus. Therefore Estonia supports the strengthening of the EUSR’s team and his closer in- volvement in the handling of the confl icts. Estonia, as the EU, does not recognise the so-called referendum that took place in 2006 in South Ossetia. To ensure a peaceful solution of the confl icts, there is a need for wide confi dence-building measures. Ef- forts must be made to achieve the establishing of one negotiating and peacekeeping models that would be acceptable to both sides of respective confl icts and would contribute to the solution.

The government of Georgia has a goal of integrating in the closer future with NATO and in the longer term perspective with the EU. An important achievement for Geor- gia was the decision of NATO to start an intensiﬁ ed dialogue with Georgia. This is a new level in Georgia-NATO relations, setting concrete targets, taking into account Georgia’s prospect of accession in the future. Estonia supports Georgia’s aspirations towards NATO and the political, economic and defence reforms carried out in the country.

Thanks to our experience and knowledge, Estonia can play an effective role as an adviser and mediator in the relations between the EU and Georgia. Our transition experience is important to Georgia in the conceptualising and consistent planning of the reforms. Estonia’s former Prime Minister Mart Laar has for almost a year acted as an adviser to Georgia’s President Saakashvili. In November 2006 Estonian Presi- dent Ilves visited Georgia, meeting Georgia’s president and other high ofﬁ cials. In December Estonia opened its Embassy in Tbilisi, thus indicating the willingness to strengthen relations with Georgia. Estonia has continued its cooperation programs with Georgia: the IT-related “Deer leap” program and the training of Georgia’s police ofﬁ cers. In order to facilitate contacts and also to support Georgia’s Europe-related goals, the Estonian government relieved the holders of Georgian diplomatic passports of the entry visa requirement, and Georgian citizens are no more charged a fee for a single-entry or short-term visa. At the end of last year Estonia decided to support the EUSR’s activity in Georgia with a sum of 100000 Euros.

A positive sign in the development of Armenia and Azerbaijan is that both countries have turned towards Europe and are working to secure political and economic progress.

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Both countries signed ENP action plans in November 2006. The years-long dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh has not produced results. Yet the recent meetings between the leaders of two countries offer some hope of progress. Estonia’s relations with both countries in 2006 were relatively modest. The foreign ministers’ visits were sus- pended for various reasons. There were bilateral foreign ministers’ meetings in the margins of the OSCE ministerial in December in Brussels. Therefore, the calendar of bilateral relations with Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2007 should be more intensive.

Estonia’s ties with the fi ve Central Asian countries (Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan) are relatively modest both in the political and economic sphere. The countries have, though, become recently more important geostrategically and their signifi cance as energy suppliers has increased considerably. Being situated in the central part of Eurasia and possessing huge energy reserves (Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan belong by their gas and oil resources to the fi rst ten countries of the world), they have an important role in the energy security of many countries. At the same time there are concerns about democratic developments in these countries, in some countries there have been cases of disproportionate domestic use of force and problems with Islamic extremists. Some of the Southern countries of the region battle with “soft security” risks, fi rst of all as transit corridors for narcotics.

The Central Asian countries make efforts to develop ties with both Asian and Europe- an countries. Most of them are members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. They are important in the context of the ﬁ ght against terrorism. The European Union has an important role to play in the choice of the future orientation made by these countries. Therefore Estonia supports the idea of an EU Central Asia strategy, aimed at promoting European values. The key issues for the EU are stability and promotion of European values in the region, and also energy cooperation.

Estonia’s relations at the bilateral level with these countries have become some- what more active. For example, in 2006 diplomatic relations were concluded with Tajikistan. This was the only Central Asian country which so far did not have diplomatic relations with Estonia. Foreign Minister Urmas Paet met in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York with the foreign minister of Kazakhstan, who an- nounced an intention to accredit a diplomat to work in Tallinn. In September the legal experts of the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan visited Tallinn, in order to examine and develop the legal basis of the bilateral relations. In October the new Ambassador of Kazakhstan visited Tallinn where he was informed of Estonia’s intention to accredit a non-residing Ambassador to Kazakhstan. In December Estonia’s foreign minister met his colleague from Kyrgyzstan in the margins of the OSCE Ministerial in Vienna. The foreign ministers of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan have been invited to visit Tallinn in

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2007. The development of the relations with the Central Asian countries is a sign that Estonia’s diplomacy broadens its scope of activity.

Asia Having safeguarded our security by entering NATO and regained our place among European countries, we have got more time and resources to pay attention to Asia. Living in a multi-polar world requires our participation in the shaping of this world and we have to formulate our positions on all the aspects of the EU-Asia relations. As our foreign minister Urmas Paet pointed out in his report to the parliament on 7 December 2006: “The European Union is today active in a world, where the role of Asia is growing.”

Estonia’s main cooperation framework with the countries of the Asian region is the Asia-Europe Meeting – ASEM. Estonia became a member of ASEM in October 2004 upon becoming a member of the EU. Estonia supports wholeheartedly ASEM cooperation – today ASEM is the largest cooperation organisation in the world (except for the UN, of course) comprising more than 60 per cent of the world’s population. The next important event in the framework of ASEM will be its foreign ministers’ meeting in March 2007 in Germany. Complementary opportunities for cooperation in the ﬁ eld of culture and education as well as for people-to-people contacts are opened by Estonia’s membership in the Asia-European-Foundation – ASEF. So far Estonia has not been very active in utilising the possibilities offered by membership in ASEF and our ministries are presently studying how to make the best use of our membership.

When speaking about bilateral relations, it should be noted once again that relations with most of Asian countries have for many years been less active, compared to some of our other foreign policy priorities. Contacts have been more lively with India, China and Japan. In the latter two, Estonia also has its only embassies in Asia.

Afghanistan belongs to the priority partner countries of Estonia’s development aid. Esto- nia is also participating in ISAF, which is currently NATO’s most important military mission. In the summer of 2006 an Estonian contingent was transferred from Mazar-e-Sharif to the capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah. From the beginning of December 2006 the number of Estonian troops serving in Afghanistan is 130. This is the largest contingent that Estonia has ever deployed in an international stabilisation operation.

In the autumn of 2006 the ﬁ rst ever Estonian diplomat/civil representative was appointed to Afghanistan. As a ﬁ rst result of his work a humanitarian project has been launched with the aim of supplying medical equipment to the regional children’s hospital in Bost. Last year Estonia contributed over 100 000 € to international aid programmes in Afghanistan.

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Nation-building in Afghanistan is certainly going to be a time-consuming process and Estonia is ready to contribute to it as long as necessary. Estonia is also ready to participate in the special EU mission, which is going to consult and support the training of Afghanistan’s National Police according to the Afghanistan development plan worked out by the European Commission for the years 2007–2013. Estonia has also voiced the opinion that the mission’s activities should be expanded to Southern Afghanistan, where the lack of stability is especially perceivable.

In September the Estonian minister of defence Jürgen Ligi visited Afghanistan. Later, in December, Primes Minister Andrus Ansip and Commander of the Defence Forces Ants Laaneots visited Afghanistan and met the Estonian military stationed there.

Exchange of visits with other South and Southeast Asian countries has been some- what more modest. In July Estonia hosted Japan’s minister for economy, administra- tive reform, special regions and regional development Kouki Tschuma.

In September the foreign minister of New Zealand Winston Peters paid a visit to Tallinn and signed here an agreement on working holiday visas (such a document is in effect between Estonia and Australia since May 2005).

Estonia’s most important partner in Asia is China, with which Estonia has signed practically all the necessary cooperation agreements in the economic and cultural spheres. The most prominent visits of 2006 were those by the Estonian minister of defence Jürgen Ligi and the Chairman of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Council, Jia Quinglin. For obvious reasons China is also Estonia’s most important trade partner in Asia. The past few years have also seen a growing interest of Esto- nian businessmen in China. The Estonian business association Enterprise Estonia is currently planning to open its representation in China, while quite a few Estonian companies have already been active on the Chinese market on their own, and their number is likely to grow in the coming years. In January 2006 the Estonian foreign minister Urmas Paet and China’s deputy foreign minister Li Jinzhang signed an agreement enabling Estonia to construct a new embassy building in Beijing.

Alongside the exchange of visits, bilateral consultations between ministries of foreign affairs are becoming more and more common. By now they have come under way with India, Japan and Pakistan. In April 2006 consultations were held between the foreign ministries of Estonia and Japan. Bilateral relations between the two countries are developing rapidly and agreements regulating intergovernmental cooperation are in place. Although trade with Japan has more than quadrupled over the past ten years, it was found that time was not yet ripe for agreements on mutual promotion of investments and avoidance of double taxation. The number of Japanese tourists

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who ﬁ nd their way to Estonia has also increased considerably. Last year there were more than 20 000 of them. For the second year in succession the representative of the Estonian business association Enterprise Estonia, Kosaku Yamaguchi, is active in Tokyo, and now there are plans to establish a full-ﬂ edged representation in the Japa- nese capital. The Japanese government has on its part appropriated means for grants for Estonian students and among other things donated considerable means for the Estonian National Gallery, KUMU.

Last years’ consultations between the foreign ministries of Estonia and India were the fourth in succession. In addition to the existing agreements on cooperation in economy, education and research, tourism and culture, preparations for two important economic agreements – on promotion of investments and avoidance of double taxation – has started. There are good prospects for cooperation in the area of IT and biotechnology, and exchange of students and teachers is also growing. The efforts of the honorary consul of India in Estonia, as well as several Estonian cultural personali- ties have contributed to the development of the cultural exchange between the two contries. An appropriate programme for cooperation in the ﬁ eld of culture, education and research is under preparation. In order to better organise the issuing of Estonian visas to India’s citizens, an Estonian consular diplomat has for more than a year been working at the Finnish Embassy in New Delhi.

Consultations between the foreign ministries of Estonia and Pakistan were initiated in 2005. The next round is planned to take place during the coming spring season and the main objective will be to outline the scope of bilateral agreements.

For the near future, consultations are also planned with South Korea, Indonesia and several other states of the region.

The existence of diplomatic relations is an important precondition for all international communication. Therefore, it is our goal to establish within the next couple of years diplomatic relations with those countries of Oceania, with which we do not yet have them. They are Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. In Septem- ber a protocol on establishing diplomatic relations was signed with Micronesia.

During the past year an increased interest in Estonia on the part of Asian countries could be noted – the main reason for that is probably our membership in the EU. Southeast Asian countries consider it very important to accredit ambassadors to all EU countries. Thus in November 2006 Cambodia appointed its ﬁ rst non-resident ambassador to Estonia who is residing in Moscow. For both practical and political reasons Estonia welcomes accreditation to Estonia of ambassadors residing in the Nordic countries. Co-accrediting is a common practice among Asian countries – except China

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and Japan – when it comes to the Baltic countries. Estonia on its part is, of course, working for the opening of new embassies in Tallinn.

The development plan of Estonia’s foreign representations does not envisage setting up diplomatic missions in Southeast Asia or Oceania. For furthering relations with the states of this region, it is, however, necessary to have a network of representation which corresponds to our capacity, especially because Southeast Asia and Oceania are becoming more and more popular among Estonian tourists. Moreover, this would also contribute to the establishing of economic contacts with the region. For this purpose there are plans to use co-accreditation from our embassies in Asian countries, non-resident ambassadors and appointment of honorary consuls. In addition to our present honorary consuls in Australia, the Philippines, China, India, Pakistan and Thailand, honorary consuls will also be appointed to Western Australia and New Zealand. This will increase the number of Estonian honorary consuls around the world to more than 100. There are also plans to appoint honorary consuls to Japan and Malaysia.

The Middle East and the Gulf countries The Middle East – both the Israeli-Palestinian conﬂ ict and the surrounding states and the Gulf countries – is a subject that has a considerable impact on political developments in almost the whole world. Historically the interests of many countries and cultures meet and often collide in the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterra- nean. Nor was the past year a peaceful one in the region. As a member state of the European Union, Estonia is constantly participating in discussions and in the shaping of the EU’s standpoints on such themes as the Middle East conﬂ ict, Iran’s nuclear am- bitions and support for the development of state structures in Iraq. We also endeavour to contribute to the democratic development of the region through participation in the EU’s election monitoring missions. Last year Estonian diplomats participated in missions in the territory of the Palestinian Authority and Yemen. Elections in the Palestinian Authority were undoubtedly one of the most important events of the year in the Middle East and Estonia is happy to have made its direct contribution there. The election monitoring missions in Yemen in turn provided a unique opportunity to observe the process of the formation of the democratic choice of this nation and to become familiar with the culture and habits of one of the most traditionalist Arab countries.

Historically, Estonia’s contacts with the Middle East have been relatively modest. During the past few years we have, however, developed closer relations with some countries of the region, among which Israel is the most important. The regular political consultations are a sign of the constructive and friendly relations between Esto- nia and Israel. The latest round of consultations was held in June 2006. Economic

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relations between the two countries were given a boost by the visit of the Estonian minister for economy and communication and a business seminar in November. The most promising areas of cooperation are ICT and the implementation of research achievements in production. Bilateral relations are certainly energized by the small but very active Jewish community in Estonia through their contacts with Jews who have moved to Israel from Estonia. Cultural contacts between Estonia and Israel have been very lively for years already and they will certainly receive a new boost from the completion of the construction of Tallinn’s synagogue.

A pleasant surprise of the year 2006, as regards the Middle East, was the new im- pulse in relations with Jordan. The basis for common interest was found in oil shale, which has been mined and used in Estonia for decades. During these years Estonian researchers have accumulated considerable experience and technological knowledge of processing this valuable mineral. Last year a preliminary agreement was concluded between the Estonian state-owned energy company and Jordan on the construction of a oil shale processing plant in Jordan in order to launch large-scale oil production from Jordanian oil shale. In addition to the economic circles, also Jordanian students have shown interest towards Estonia. A group of Jordanian students visited Tartu Art School last summer within the EU youth exchange programme, and returned home with knowledge about the life and studying opportunities in Estonia. As Jordan is the only country in the region which has been visited by the president of Estonia, it is expected that King Abdullah II will pay a visit to our country already in 2007.

Last year’s political developments in Lebanon were worrisome for the whole international community. In August, the concerted efforts of the UN and EU halted the military confl ict but reaching a political solution is far more complicated and time-consuming. Besides, the confl ict has damaged the economy and worsened the humanitarian situation in the country. Estonia joined international relief operations in order to support the people of Lebanon in diffi cult times. Estonia made donations to support those who had lost their homes in the armed confl ict, and to fi nance de-mining operations.

As a member state of the EU, Estonia has the right and duty to participate also in the formulation of the EU’s policy for the Gulf region. So, last year Foreign Minister Urmas Paet participated in the joint meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the EU’s foreign ministers, where mainly questions related to the EU-GCC free trade agreement were dealt with.

Estonian defence forces participate in the international coalition which assists the democratically elected government of Iraq in building up a functioning state and helps to ensure security in Iraq until the Iraqi security forces will be able to assume the responsibility for the security of the nation. In November 2006 Foreign Minister

117 2006 ESTONIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS YEARBOOK

Urmas Paet visited Iraq and met with Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki and the comman- ders of the coalition forces. This was the ﬁ rst meeting of an Estonian politician with the prime minister of the democratically elected Iraqi government. The foreign minister, of course, also visited Estonian troops at their base which lies north of Baghdad.

In November the foreign minister also visited Kuwait where he had a bilateral meeting with the Kuwaiti foreign minister Dr. Mohammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, during which the situation in the region and its prospects for the future were discussed. The two ministers also discussed the importance of the presence of the coalition forces in Iraq.

An important step in furthering relations with the Arab world was the establishing of diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates, which is very popular among Estonian tourists.

Africa Estonia’s contacts with African states are rather limited, but as people travel more and more, they also become aware of the economic potential and the recreational possibilities offered by Africa. Estonia had trade relations with some African countries, like Morocco, already before World War II. A small number of Estonians are living in Morocco, the South African Republic, Nabibia and some other countries. Several Estonian companies have noticeable ties with Africa.

Presently Estonia aims to diversify its relations with African countries and to expand them geographically as much as possible. In 2006 diplomatic relations were established with Burkina Faso, Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Seychelles, Rwanda and Uganda. The communiqué on establishing diplomatic relations between Estonia and Uganda was signed by the foreign ministers of the two countries in New York during the General Assembly of the UN. During the meeting the ministers exchanged views on the situation in Africa and the international situation in general. So far Estonia has no diplomatic missions in Africa and our relations with African countries are managed by non-resident ambassadors to Egypt and Morocco. Estonia has honorary consuls in Egypt, Morocco and the Republic of South Africa.

From the Estonian point of view Egypt can be regarded as the most important and promising cooperation partner in Africa. Egypt is one of Africa’s leading nations both politically and demographically. Actually, Egypt is a kind of border state, as having relations with this country means having relations with both Africa and the Arab world. The capital city of Egypt, Cairo, is one of the world centres of power as the Headquarters of the Arab League is located here. As the most populous Arab country with long-standing ties to Europe, Egypt also has a central role in the formation of public opinion in the Arab world. Estonia has therefore initiated the idea of regular

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bilateral political consultations with Egypt which will hopefully start already in 2007. In 2006 Estonia appointed its ﬁ rst (non-resident) ambassador to Egypt.

Relations with Sub-Saharan countries were in 2006 in the ﬁ rst place characterised by the spirit of the EU’s strategy for Africa which was adopted in 2005. Within the limits set by Estonia’s economic capacity we are trying to help with both material resources and know-how in relieving crises in different parts of Africa, continuing our participation in aid deliveries to the refugees of Darfur which was started in 2004 and 2005. In 2006 Estonia appropriated 800 000 EEK for the improvement of women’s and children’s health in Southern Sudan and 585 000 EEK for the improvement of the educational system in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As Estonia not so long ago was itself a recipient of aid from abroad, it is well aware of how important it is not only to give ad hoc material aid but also to assist people to build up democratic governance and conduct various educational projects.

Estonia is also an active participant in observation missions. Last year Estonian representatives took part in election missions in Zambia, Uganda, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mauritania.

In 2006 Estonia participated in two conferences on the issues of migration, in which ministers of foreign affairs and ministers of the interior and development aid of the EU and African states participated. Both conferences approved a joint declaration and an action plan for cooperation on migration issues between Europe and Africa. Estonia’s participation at these conferences is a sign that we participate in the search of better solutions to the migration issues.

Latin America Estonia has cooperated successfully with Latin American countries in different international organisations and there are a number of features that are common to Estonia and Latin American countries, especially in the economic sphere. Many Latin American countries have underdone rapid changes, experienced various economic models and undertaken radical economic reforms. Due to its successful economic reforms, Estonia has achieved considerable success in its economic and social development, but we are far from offering our experience as something ﬁ nal and deﬁ nitive. Yet, due to our experience, we follow with interest the competition of different economic models – and consequently, different worldviews – in different Latin American countries and on the continent as a whole. Today, is is not possible to draw clear boundaries between the ideologies of the left and right, as it was perhaps a hundred years ago. Latin America is one of the regions, where this is especially evident. The Estonian reform experience was presented in Latin America by the former prime minister Mart Laar. We have

119 2006 ESTONIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS YEARBOOK

friends in Latin America like the Peruvian analyst Álvaro Varga Llosa, who has done a great deal to make Estonia known in Latin America as a successful reform country.

As for closer contacts, the visit of the Columbian foreign minister Carolina Barco Isakson at the beginning of February was certainly a landmark. She met in Tallinn with President Arnold Rüütel, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip and Foreign Minister Paet to discuss both bilateral and multilateral issues and possibilities for interregional cooperation.

Estonia’s membership in the EU gives us also additional possibilities for observ- ing the developments in Latin America. In May 2006 Prime Minister Andrus Ansip participated in the EU, Latin American and Caribbean summit in Vienna. Estonian diplomats participated last year also in the observations missions in Venezuela and Bolivia. Apart from our own contribution we also became richer gathering experience and capacity for analysis.

Estonia has also practiced successful cooperation with Latin American countries in the international context. There are several countries on the continent – for instance Brazil, but also Mexico, Peru, Argentina and Chile – which by their size and inﬂ uence are acquiring an increasingly important position in world politics. Beside the really big and inﬂ uential countries of the continent, there are also a lot of small nations, with whom we have a good mutual understanding. Especially for the smaller countries, political success will in the future increasingly depend on their ability to gain support in international organisations. Also, international forums offer us possibilities for mutual exchange of opinions. For example, foreign minister Urmas Paet met in September in the margins of the UN General Assembly with his Guatemalan colleague Gerth Rosenthal, in order to consider the possibilities for future cooperation.

However, Estonia is looking forward to developing good relations with all the countries of Latin America irrespective of their size. The the ﬁ rst step in this is the estab- lishment of diplomatic relations. Thus in 2006 Estonia established diplomatic relations with Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Latin America is important for Estonia also because, compared to some other faraway continents, relatively many Estonians and people with Estonian roots live there. As Estonia has no embassies in Latin America, the honorary consuls, many of whom are of Estonian descent, have an important role in developing the relations between the Latin American countries and Estonia. In addition, consular missions are organised to help with various practical concerns, like acquiring Estonian citizenship, legal issues etc. In order to meet the requirements of the Estonian community in Latin America, last year the Estonian consul residing in New York visited both Buenos Aires and São Paolo, in order to offer consular services.

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