Foreign ministry spokesperson: Estonia-Turkey relations remain strong
Estonia and Turkey remain solid in their alliance, a foreign ministry spokesperson says, with cooperation within NATO, which both countries are members of, and close to three thousand Turkish citizens who have so far taken advantage of Estonia's e-residency scheme being examples of this.
At a video meeting Friday afternoon, the foreign ministry's Undersecretary for European Affairs Märt Volmer said that: "Unity in NATO is of utmost importance for us. We truly appreciate Turkey's efforts in facing the security challenges in our region. I am also pleased to have Turkey as a member nation in the NATO cyber defense center (the CCDCOE – ed.) in Tallinn.
Former Estonian ambassador to the U.S. and now foreign ministry secretary general Jonatan Vseviov meanwhile was involeved in a separate, but related, meeting covering Turkey, her foreign policy and the situation with regard to Russia, while Turkey was represented by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Faruk Kaymakçı in the meeting with Märt Volmer.
"Trade relations between Estonia and Turkey are active," Volmer went on, according to a foreign ministry press release.
"Once strict [coronavirus] restrictions are lifted, we would like to welcome the Turkish trade minister to Estonia to showcase our investment environment. Turkey has always been an attractive destination for Estonian tourists. We hope that the situation with the pandemic will improve very soon and we can recover our old ties in this sector," he went on.
"I am also delighted that as many as 2,953 Turkish citizens have become [Estonian] e-residents," Volmer added.
The pair also discussed Turkey-EU relations, with Volmer expressing satisfaction on behalf of Estonia over any aims on the part of Turkey to foster closer relations with the EU and also in cooperation on the migration issue.
"I am also delighted that as many as 2,953 Turkish citizens have become [Estonian] e-residents," Volmer added.
The situation in the eastern Mediterranean, and the coronavirus pandemic, were also on the table, the foreign ministry says.
Turkey has full diplomatic representation in Tallinn with its embassy on Narva mnt, while Estonia has a reciprocal embassy in Ankara.
Under the defense ministry's 2021 plan, up to six members of the Estonian Defense Forces (EDF) are to take part inthe EU military mission EUNAVFOR Med, now known as Operation Irini, largely aimed at countering human trafficking and other criminal or terrorist activities, as well as humanitarian aid for persons crossing the Mediterranean in ill-equipped boats.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte
