Karis will meet with the heads of state of both countries and will be accompanied by members of the Riigikogu and Estonian entrepreneurs who want to expand their business activities into Africa. The purpose of the visit is to expand bilateral cooperation.

"The head of state has mapped out Estonia's interests in Africa in meetings with entrepreneurs and the foreign service and analyzed which countries have the greatest potential for cooperation. As with all rapidly developing societies and economies, Botswana and Angola offer many opportunities for bilateral economic cooperation, for example in the field of IT, as well as within the framework of development cooperation projects.," said the president's spokesperson Mariann Sudakov.

"The president's visit to the African continent at this turbulent time confirms our interest in expanding our partnerships with countries with which we can promote cooperation in international organizations. The desire is to talk to them about the global security situation, and the crises that affect us all, such as migration, climate issues, and the spread of terrorism. Raising awareness of Russia's war of aggression and the need to support Ukraine will certainly be a focus of the meetings," she added.

Karis' state visit to Botswana takes place from March 5-7 and his visit to Angola will follow on March 7-8.

Botswana is one of the four target countries for the Estonian Center for International Development (ESTDEV) in Africa, along with Kenya, Uganda, and Namibia.

ESTDEV will launch a program in Botswana in cooperation with France and Finland with funding from the European Union to implement the digital revolution there.

Last August, Estonia opened an honorary consulate in Luanda, the capital of Angola. 

"In the economic relations between Estonia and Angola, we see potential in digital cooperation, e-governance, cybersecurity, e-health, e-education and green technologies," said Daniel Schaer, ambassador at large for Africa, at the opening of the consulate.

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