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Estonian Review E E S T I R I N G V a a D E VOLUME 18 NO 38 OCT 1- 7, 2008

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Estonian Review E E S T I R I N G V a a D E VOLUME 18 NO 38 OCT 1- 7, 2008 Estonian Review E E S T I R I N G V A A D E VOLUME 18 NO 38 OCT 1- 7, 2008 FOREIGN NEWS FOREIGN NEWS NATO Visibility Important to Member States 1 October - Foreign Minister Urmas Paet met with USA Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Dan Fried, who was in Estonia on a visit. Undersecretary Fried also met with President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Prime Minister Andrus Ansip. Within the context of NATO, the Estonian foreign minister and USA undersecretary of state discussed the changed security situation in the world. Urmas Paet and Dan Fried stated that increasing the visibility of NATO is very important for the inhabitants of NATO member states. “We Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and the Estonian delegation at the greatly appreciate the USA’s meeting of Baltic- Benelux foreign ministers in Sagadi, 2 October participation in Baltic air surveillance,” said Foreign Minister Baltic and Benelux Foreign Ministers: EU Solidarity in Paet. The USA is taking over the Relations with Russia is Essential tasks of NATO’s Baltic air-policing 2 October - The foreign ministers of the Baltic and Benelux nations mission from Germany. recognised at their meeting in Sagadi that the European Union and Foreign Minister Urmas Paet its member states must have close co-operation in issues within the also confirmed that Estonia Union as well as in relations on the global arena, including those continues to support the Euro- with Russia. Atlantic integration of Georgia and Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that these get-togethers between the Ukraine, as well as the idea of foreign ministers of the three Baltic states and Belgium, Holland and giving NATO Membership Action Luxembourg are very valuable for international co-operation. “Mutual Plans (MAPs) to the countries at understanding and co-operation can be achieved through close relations. the first possible opportunity. USA Exchanging viewpoints in smaller groups within the European Union is Undersecretary of State Dan Fried essential for the solidarity of the whole European Union,” Paet said stated that the United States Foreign Minister Urmas Paet also stated that evidence of the European continues to support NATO Union’s solidarity can be seen in the joint activity that took place during enlargement. and after the Georgia crisis. “The European Union’s efforts succeeded in Another topic at the meeting stopping the military conflict in Georgia, organising humanitarian aid for was the continuation of the those who suffered in the conflict, and composing the European Union international missions in Iraq and Monitoring Mission, which began working in Georgia on 1 October,” Paet Afghanistan. Foreign Minister added. The foreign ministers of the Baltic and Benelux countries Urmas Paet stated that the emphasised that the European Union will be unitary and focused on presence of an international European values at the upcoming conference in Geneva, where matters of coalition in Iraq and Afghanistan is building up Georgia and political aid will be discussed, and also at the still necessary. “Estonia should conference of donors to Georgia taking place in Brussels in mid-October. continue contributing to Another topic at the Baltic-Benelux meeting was the European strengthening the security of Iraq Neighbourhood Policy’s Eastern Dimension. Significant emphasis was and Afghanistan for as long as placed on discussion of the future of the European Union. The ministers those nations still want our help,” agreed that by December’s Council, an action plan should be drawn up of said Foreign Minister Paet. The possibilities for moving forward with the Treaty of Lisbon. foreign minister also noted that The ministers also emphasised that the European Union must formulate beside the military contributions, an outlook for overcoming the financial crisis that is spreading through the Estonia would like to pay more world as soon as possible. The topic will be discussed at upcoming attention to increasing its civil meetings of the European Union foreign and finance ministers. contributions in both countries. Continued page 2 FOREIGN NEWS NATO Visibility Secretaries General of NB8 Foreign Ministries Discuss Baltic Co-operation (continued from page 1) “Estonia is co-ordinating the building up of the 2 October - A meeting of the secretaries general health care sector in Helmand province in of the foreign ministries of Nordic and Baltic Afghanistan,” said Paet. nations (Nordic-Baltic 8 or NB8) took place in While talking about visa freedom with the USA, Tallinn from 1-2 October. Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that Estonia has While talking about the joint activities of the taken all the necessary steps for achieving visa Baltic Sea states, Foreign Ministry Secretary General freedom. At the beginning of the week, Estonia and Matti Maasikas brought up Estonia’s co-operation the United States concluded an agreement to with Finland and Latvia as a positive example. prevent and combat serious crime, which was the Finland and Latvia represent Estonia for the issuing final requirement for visa freedom. “We hope that as of Schengen visas in over ten nations where Estonia early as the beginning of next year, Estonian citizens lacks its own foreign representation. “It is also will have the opportunity to travel to the USA important for the European Union to co-ordinate the without visas,” said Foreign Minister Paet. giving of consular aid in crisis regions,” said Maasikas. During the Russia-Georgia conflict, Estonia Supports Visa Liberalisation for Estonia co-operated with Finland, Latvia, Lithuania and Denmark to bring those citizens home. Serbia On the topic of energy security, Secretary 6 October - Foreign Minister Urmas Paet had General Maasikas stated that in order for it to be meetings with Serbian Prime Minister Mirko guaranteed, a well-functioning common energy Cvetkovići, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremići, and market must exist among the member states. deputy speaker of the Parliament Gordana “Creating a common Nordic-Baltic energy market Čomići during his visit to Serbia. In all of the would help to increase the reliability of supplies,” meetings, Paet emphasised Estonia’s desire to said Secretary General Maasikas. intensify relations between the countries, both as The secretaries general also addressed matters bilateral relations and also in the European Union related to the European Neighbourhood Policy. dimension. According to Maasikas, co-operation with the Estonia’s position is that visa liberalisation Neighbourhood Policy’s Eastern Dimension states agreements for Serbia and the other Western Balkan should be strengthened. A good basis for this is countries are a matter to be decided in the near provided by the proposals made by Sweden and future, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said in his Poland in May. meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Co-operation of the Nordic and Baltic nations, or Cvetkovići. “A visa liberalisation agreement is very NB8, is a regional co-operation format that includes important for the Serbian community,” Paet Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Denmark, emphasised. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Estonia is the co- “It is in Estonia’s interests for the Western ordinating nation for NB8 foreign policy co-operation Balkans to be a stable and developing region, and in 2008. This position will be passed on to Iceland in Estonia is prepared to share its own experiences 2009. from preparing for EU accession with Serbia. We also think visa freedom for citizens of Serbia and other Western Balkan nations is essential, as is achieving the status of a European Union candidate state,” he added. At the meeting, it was confirmed that the heads of state of both Estonia and Serbia would like for relations between Serbia and Estonia, including economic relations, to develop more rapidly than before. “So that relations between the two nations could grow to a new level, we would like to reach the final stretch of the agreement for the avoidance of double taxation as soon as possible,” discussed Foreign Minister Paet. “The conclusion of the agreement for the avoidance of double taxation will give a positive boost to the growth of Estonia-Serbia trade relations and investments,” said Paet. While The secretaries general of the NB8 foreign talking about developing bilateral relations, the ministries in Tallinn, 2 October possibility of teaching Serbian at Tartu University was discussed. Estonian Observers Started Work in Paet confirmed that Estonia supports Serbia’s Georgia rapid development in co-operation directed towards the European Union and NATO. Foreign Minister Paet 1 October - The European Union Monitoring also extended an invitation for his Serbian colleague Mission, which includes two Estonian to visit Estonia, which the latter accepted. observers, started its work in Georgia this week. The monitors from Estonia are Tamar Tamm, chief of the logistics department of the Southeast border guard district, and Piret Palusoo, adviser at the police college of the Estonian Public Service International Development Association on Academy. behalf of Estonia. The Estonians are assigned to the Poti field office After accession to the IDA, Estonia will be able to in western Georgia, near Abkhazia, along with 10 support the development of poorer countries monitors from Spain, eight from Greece, four from through the organisation. Austria, and three from Hungary and Latvia each. Estonia's one-off mandatory contribution to the IDA Lithuania has sent five monitors, who operate out of is nearly 10 million kroons (EUR 0.64 mln). In the Zugdidi field office also in western Georgia, addition, a payment in the sum of 2.2 million kroons along with monitors from Italy, Germany, Czech will have to be made into the IDA's previous Republic and Lithuania. financing rounds. Estonia is expected to contribute Estonia was ready to send nine people on the 34.9 million kroons in funding over the next 3-9 monitoring mission, but was asked to send only two years for less developed countries.
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