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Estonian Review E E S T I R I N G V A A D E VOLUME 20 NO 42 NOV 26 – DEC 2, 2010 FOREIGN NEWS FOREIGN NEWS EU IT Agency for Justice and Home Affairs to be Situated in Tallinn 2 December (BNS) - The Justice and Home Affairs Council of the European Union in Brussels on Thursday approved the establishment of the headquarters of the EU's IT agency for justice and home affairs in the Estonian capital Tallinn. EU justice and interior ministers gave their political backing to the two-nation offer by Estonian Interior Minister Marko Pomerants and French Interior Minister Brice Hortefeux as regards the location of the IT agency in Tallinn, spokespeople for the Interior Ministry told BNS. Foreign Minister Urmas Paet with Foreign Minister of New Zealand According to the arrangement Murry McCully, 26 November. submitted to the council for approval, the headquarters of the agency would be situated in Tallinn. Estonia to Open Consulate in Australia That Will Also Cover Operational management of the New Zealand servers will remain in Strasbourg, 26 November - At their meeting in Tallinn today, Foreign Minister where the servers of the Urmas Paet informed his colleague from New Zealand Murry information systems ensuring the McCully that Estonia plans to open an honorary consulate in Sydney EU's internal security are situated next year that will also cover New Zealand. “This will be our first also today. The joint Estonian- consulate in the region, and it will help to strengthen relations,” Foreign French offer is based on the EU Minister Paet said at the meeting. “Nearly 10 000 Estonian live in Australia, policy according to which the and in New Zealand there are a remarkable 1 400 people with Estonian headquarters of new agencies will roots,” Paet added. be set up in new member states for At the meeting, Foreign Minister Paet expressed his condolences to his the sake of greater cohesion. colleague and the people of New Zealand over the mining accident in which 29 miners were lost due to an explosion in a coal mine. Estonian Rescue Workers In talking about communication on the international level, the foreign Highly Valued in Crisis Areas ministers addressed the EU and New Zealand’s co-operation within the framework agreement and the fact that the EU is New Zealand’s second 29 November - Foreign Minister trade partner by volume. While talking about NATO, Foreign Minister Paet Urmas Paet, Minister of the emphasised that NATO’s co-operation with like-minded countries is Interior Marko Pomerants, and important. “Afghanistan is a good example of this co-operation. New director general of the Rescue Zealand has about 230 soldiers participating in the ISAF mission in Board Kalev Timberg presented Afghanistan and Estonia will also continue to serve there on its current mission medals to members of level, a maximum of 170 soldiers,” said Paet. the Estonian Disaster Relief At the meeting, the foreign ministers also discussed the agreement on Team that have gone on short-term youth working and holiday visas that came into effect in 2007, humanitarian missions to which has been used on 69 occasions. “We hope that more New Zealanders disaster areas in Haiti, Poland will take advantage of the agreement and come to Estonia,” said Paet. and Moldova. Mission medals were During the course of their meeting, the Estonian foreign minister gave given to 26 Estonian rescue his colleague an overview of the Eastern Partnership Centre starting up in workers. Tallinn. “We can offer New Zealand the help of the centre if it wishes to implement projects in the Eastern Partnership countries,” said Foreign Continued on page 2 Minister Paet. Rescue Workers ability to actively respond to a variety of situations has improved year after year. “In order to help (continued from page 1) people in conflict and post-war regions and restore a normal way of life, we can not only send financial support, but increasingly we can also send manpower to help out in crisis areas,” said Timberg. Russian Consul Sergei Stepanov also presented medals from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations to the Estonian rescue workers for their help in extinguishing this summer’s forest fires. In 2010 Estonia has made voluntary donations to international humanitarian aid organisations and earmarked donations to Haiti, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Sudan. Those sums in addition to the cost of sending rescue workers and supplies to disaster areas totalled 0.99 million EUR. We have sent experts to provide aid in Haiti (17 logistics and medical experts), Afghanistan (2 Foreign Minister Urmas Paet (right), director medical experts), Russia (2 experts), Poland (9 general of the Rescue Board Kalev Timberg and experts), Moldova (11 experts), and Pakistan (4 Minister of the Interior Marko Pomerants experts). presenting medals to Estonian rescue workers, 29 November. Paet Invites Netherlands to Participate in Baltic Air Policing At the medal ceremony, Foreign Minister Urmas 2 December - During his meeting in The Hague Paet thanked the participants in rescue missions for today with Dutch Foreign Minister Uri their readiness and dedication to participate in Rosenthal, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet invited difficult missions and help those in need. “The Haiti the Netherlands to participate in the Baltic air earthquake, Russian forest fires, and floods in policing mission. “The Netherlands participated in Pakistan, Poland and Moldova are among the many policing our skies in 2005 and is welcome to do so natural disasters in 2010 to which Estonia sent its again,” he added. experts. Our rescue workers remain involved in the Paet and Rosenthal emphasised the importance humanitarian aid mission in post-flood Pakistan,” of defence-related co-operation between the said Paet. The foreign minister added that in Netherlands and Estonia. “In October Estonia signed addition to tackling the aftermath of natural an agreement with the Netherlands to procure SISU disasters, Estonia is also helping to promote the armoured vehicles for the Estonian Defence Forces. health of people in Afghanistan, especially women We also highly value the Netherlands’ offer of and children. training opportunities for Estonian officers and “Estonia has managed to respond quickly to officials who work with defence policy at the emergency situations and our efficient activities and Netherlands Defence College and in the Belgium- contributions are noticed in Estonia and further Netherlands Mine Warfare School,” he added. abroad,” Paet emphasised, adding that the members Estonia and the Netherlands are of the position of the Estonian Disaster Relief Team are highly that the EU should enforce a stricter financial and valued and trusted experts. The foreign minister economic policy than before. “We are both of the stated that Estonian experts are invited to join UN position that the European Union budget for next and European Union evaluation missions. Estonia year should not increase by more than 2.91%. The has also become a significant co-operation partner budget must be geared towards achieving the goals in its own region. “We formed a team to deal with of the European Union’s new economic growth and the aftermath of flooding together with Latvia and employment strategy ‘Europe 2020’,” said Foreign Lithuania. Estonia belongs to the International Minister Paet. Humanitarian Partnership network along with the The Netherlands is an important investor in Nordic countries and the Netherlands, England and Estonia. “In terms of direct investments, the Germany,” he noted. Netherlands ranks third among nations that invest in Interior Minister Marko Pomerants stated that the Estonia, after Finland and Sweden,” said Paet. There participation of Estonian rescue workers in are 261 businesses with Dutch participation in international missions is a good example of Estonia. development as well as cross-border co-operation. Relations between the Netherlands and Estonia “Estonia fulfils its international obligations worthily are strengthened by the opportunity to learn and helps those who are in need. We will also Estonian that is offered at the University of receive help if the Estonian state is ever in need of Groningen. aid. Our rescue workers have met international The ministers also spoke about co-operation standards on their missions and we would like to between Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, formally recognise their service,” said Interior Belgium and Luxembourg. Estonia will be organising Minister Pomerants while thanking the Disaster the meeting of the Baltic and Benelux foreign Relief Team members. ministers next year. The Estonian and Dutch foreign Director general of the Rescue Board Kalev ministers also discussed matters related to the Timberg stated that the members of the Estonian further enlargement of the European Union and Disaster Relief Team that have gone to disaster NATO’s relations with Russia. Foreign Minister Uri areas have done their work very well and their Rosenthal stated that the Dutch public is inclined to result of the domestic conflict that has gone on for being sceptical about EU enlargement. Foreign years in Sudan, a million people have lost their lives Minister Urmas Paet stated that it is essential for all or been forced to leave their homes. “The goal of European nations to maintain a clear perspective for UNICEF’s activities is to help more than two million joining the EU and that progress in the accession people in need,” stated Paet. process should be based on achievements; however, According to the assessments of the UN and it is also important that the candidate nations fulfil other international organisations, the situation in all the required conditions. Sudan could become even more unstable as a result Foreign Minister Paet said that Estonia would like of the independence referendum scheduled for 9 for the European Neighbourhood Policy and Eastern January of next year and humanitarian needs there Partnership to be made stronger, which is important could grow exponentially.

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