Ambassador to Afghanistan Presents Letter of Credence
Estonia's new ambassador to Afghanistan, Väino Reinart, presented his credentials to President Hamid Karzai on April 3.
Career diplomat Reinart, 49, has been in the foreign service for 20 years. He led the delegation at the Russian troop withdrawal negotiations in 1994, headed the Foreign Ministry political department, served as permanent representative to the OSCE, and held ambassadorships to the EU and all of the countries in North America.
Estonia has had a diplomatic special mission to Afghanistan since September 2006. The charge d'affaires is currently Vahur Soosaar. The new plenipotentiary will reside in Tallinn. Reinart is also Estonia's special envoy on Afghanistan and Pakistan issues since August 2011.
In the traditional conversation that followed the ceremony, Reinart and Karzai discussed ways of stabilizing the region. Reinart assured Karzai that Afghanistan continues to be one of the highest priorities for Estonia in both development cooperation and military assistance. Development cooperation focuses are health care, education and governance, Reinart said.
Kristopher Rikken