Estonia and Finland to relaunch coronavirus joint committee
Estonia and Finland will reopen a joint committee of officials for the purpose of exchanging coronavirus information and coordinating efforts to combat its spread, Estonian and Finnish foreign ministers said after meeting in Tallinn on Sunday. Pekka Haavisto said that Finland is not currently planning tougher travel restrictions for Estonia.
Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu (Isamaa) said at the meeting's press conference: "I'm glad to announce we have agreed on reactivating the committee of officials tasked with introducing new trust measures to ensure maximally free movement of people between our two countries."
Haavisto repeated the sentiment, adding the two governments need to do their utmost to ensure free movement in both directions.
Reinsalu said he gave his Finnish colleague an overview of measures the Estonian government has planned for containing the spread of the virus, including testing at the airport and ports.
Glad to welcome in Tallinn my Finnish colleague @Haavisto to discuss the latest on ???????????????? cooperation, regional issues, global developments, and, with great concern, #Belarus. Thank you, Pekka, for your partneship and fruitful discussions! pic.twitter.com/pmIjS8tFSF
— Urmas Reinsalu (@UrmasReinsalu) August 30, 2020
New future relations report to be put together
The foreign ministers also unveiled a plan for a new future Estonian-Finnish relations report.
"I'm glad we have reached an agreement for the creation of a joint committee, revisiting relations. The last such report was completed in 2008," Haavisto said, emphasizing that the aim of the report is to find avenues for new and closer cooperation.
Haavisto touched on Belarus
The Finnish foreign minister, who came direct from Lithuania where he met with his Lithuanian counterpart Linas Linkevicius and the Belarus opposition's presidential candidate Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, gave Reinsalu an overview of these meetings.
He said that Tsikhanouskaya asked for help launching a dialogue with the authorities in Belarus and that European countries have assured her of their support.
Full working day in Tallinn. Estonia and Finland have a very close relationship. Interesting meeting with President @KerstiKaljulaid. Agreed with Foreign Minister @UrmasReinsalu to conduct an independent study on future cooperation areas between Estonia and Finland. ????????????????
— Pekka Haavisto (@Haavisto) August 30, 2020
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Editor: Marcus Turovski
