Secretary General Kokk: Estonia to send first diplomat to Sub-Saharan Africa
16.08.2010
No 249-E
On Friday, 13 August, in Helsinki, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary-General Marten Kokk and his Finnish counterpart, Foreign Ministry Secretary of State Pertti Torstila, signed an agreement between the foreign ministries of the two countries under which an Estonian diplomat will be stationed in the Finnish embassy in Lusaka, Zambia, starting in January 2011.
Kokk said the exchange diplomat will give Estonia a good opportunity to gain experience in the particularities of African social customs. "It will also be important for us for developing future diplomatic activities in African countries, “said Kokk. He expressed hope that it could develop into a good model for cooperation in other parts of the world.
Kokk and Torstila said bilateral relations had been very close in this year. "Last year, nearly every Finnish leader paid a visit to Estonia. The joint foreign visits of both the foreign ministers and secretaries-general also demonstrate the good cooperation between the foreign ministries of Estonia and Finland. We hope to continue this practice in the future as well, “said Kokk.
The meeting also dealt with Estonia's proposal to sign an Estonian-Finnish legal assistance treaty. Kokk said the treaty would significantly simplify daily relations between Estonian and Finnish citizens. "This agreement is necessary taking into account both the size of the Estonian community in Finland and the large number of Finnish citizens in Estonia," he added.
Also discussed were opportunities for making cooperation between the Nordics and the Baltics even closer. It was decided that in the near future, joint visits would be undertaken to Belarus and Poland.
