On 15 and 16 January, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu attends the Raisina Dialogue conference in New Delhi. In addition to his presentation on Estonia’s UN Security Council membership, the foreign minister also has a series of bilateral meetings, including with the minister of external affairs of India and the foreign minister of Iran.
According to Foreign Minister Reinsalu, the visit provides an opportunity for closer relations with India, a country with a strategic importance in the region and a crucial role in global issues. “It is one of the most important partners for Estonia in terms of security as well as business. India is campaigning to become a UN Security Council member for the 2021-2022 period, so there is a chance that next year, we will be cooperating in this format as well. This is why it is all the more important to present Estonia’s positions on preserving the rules-based order,” the foreign minister said. The foreign minister will be among the keynote speakers of the conference on 16 January, and his presentation will focus on Estonia’s role in the UN Security Council in 2020 and 2021.
On the sidelines of the conference, the minister will meet with his counterparts from India, Iran, the Maldives, South Africa and Uzbekistan, and the national security adviser of Afghanistan. The foreign ministers will also have a joint meeting with the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in New Delhi.
“With the foreign minister of Iran, we will discuss bilateral relations and regional issues. It is certainly Estonia’s interest that the situation de-escalates and that Iran stays in the nuclear agreement,” the foreign minister said. At the meeting with his Indian colleague, the agenda includes cybersecurity and digital cooperation in addition to the UN Security Council. “Estonian entrepreneurs are busy establishing themselves in India and at the same time, many e-residents come from India. There is a lot of potential for an even closer cooperation,” he said.
Raisina Dialogue is an annual conference in India focusing on key international issues. The conference is organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) and the Ministry of External Affairs of India. The last visit by an Estonian foreign minister to India was in February 2013.
Additional information:
Britta Tarvis
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Communication Department
[email protected]
+372 637 7627 / +372 5194 7045