Today, Foreign Minister Sven Mikser attended the ministerial conference on Afghanistan in Geneva to discuss the security situation in Afghanistan after parliamentary elections, as well as how the international community can support Afghanistan’s efforts for peace and reconciliation. Mikser affirmed that Estonia will continue to support Afghanistan through development cooperation.
The resounding message from the conference was that the peace process must be led first and foremost by Afghanistan, which does not mean that Afghanistan should be alone in this process.
Foreign Minister Mikser said at the conference that the support of the EU and the international community continues to be necessary to contribute to the stability and further development of Afghanistan. “But Afghanistan’s initiative and strategic vision for reforms, peace negotiations and neighbourhood relations are equally important,” he said. Mikser added that despite difficult circumstances, the government of Afghanistan has managed to take steps to fight corruption, strengthen government sector, and promote education, but there is still a long way to go.
The Foreign Minister affirmed that Estonia will continue to support Afghanistan along with the international community. Afghanistan is one of the priority countries of Estonian development cooperation. Estonia allocates close to EUR 1 million for Afghanistan per year through international organisations and bilateral projects, and this will continue at least until 2024.
The development cooperation areas Estonia is mainly involved in Afghanistan are education, security, IT capacity building, and improving the lives of women and children. One example of such cooperation is the project with Tallinn University, which resulted in three master’s programmes for Kabul University’s IT department. Thanks to the project, Afghan IT students are able to obtain higher education in Afghanistan.
Foreign Minister Mikser’s agenda for the day also includes meetings with colleagues from Afghanistan, Qatar, and Uzbekistan to discuss bilateral relations. He will also meet with UN High Commissioner for Refugees and Director General of IOM.
Additional information:
Inga Bowden
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Director General, Communication Department
[email protected]
+372 528 1467
Sent by:
Britta Tarvis
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Media Adviser, Communication Department
[email protected]