Embassy Opens in Brazil
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Brazilian counterpart Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado have opened Estonia's first embassy in Latin America.
"We're opening our first embassy in Latin America's biggest country at a time that the world political situation is full of big problems," Paet said. "We're all the happier over the relations with Brazil, which are developing rapidly, and the landmark importance of the embassy opening."
The embassy will also cover Chile, Colombia and Peru.
The Brazilian embassy in Tallinn opened in 2011. Brazil has 500 Estonian residents and the community was established more than 100 years ago. The Estonian Ambassador to Brazil is Mart Tarmak. Estonia also has three honorary consuls.
Besides an oil shale connection - both Estonia and Brazil have major reserves and production - tourism, IT and investment opportunities are likely to figure in upcoming business delegation visits through the newly estbablished diplomatic structure.
CORRECTION: The translation of Paet's comment left out the word "world" - he was of course referring to international conflicts elsewhere in the world.