Estonia Names Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan
06.07.2009
The Estonian Foreign Ministry named Ambassador Harri Tiido as special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan on Friday, July 3.
According to Foreign Minister Urmas Paet several states have named special representatives for Afghanistan and Pakistan and a group of special representatives has been formed. “Afghanistan is Estonia’s most important international security mission, and Pakistan plays a key role in solving the issues in Afghanistan,” Paet stated. “Therefore it is important for Estonia to partake actively in the decision making process and participate in the group of special representatives, which also supports closer and more effective co-operation with our strategic partners,” Paet emphasized.
The Estonian Government adopted the country’s updated Afghanistan strategy in which Estonia has elaborated its Afghanistan policy for the coming years. When presenting Estonia’s updated Afghanistan strategy, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stated that the most important goal is to help to create conditions that will allow representative democracy to function in Afghanistan, enabling the Afghan people to independently ensure peace and security in their country and assure that Afghanistan will not pose a strategic risk to international security.
According to Foreign Minister Urmas Paet it is not possible to assure peace and stability in Afghanistan solely by military means. In order to achieve Afghanistan’s goals it is important to engage with civil means as well as development aid. “In the field of civilian assistance, Estonia prioritizes health care, education and the implementation of good governance practices. We will also double the number of Estonian experts in the EU Police Mission in Afghanistan this summer,” Paet said. “The naming of our special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan is the next step in our effort in Afghanistan,” Paet said.
In the field of defence co-operation, Estonia continues to participate in ISAF and preparations are being made for creating a joint US-Estonian OMLT. In order to provide security for Afghanistan’s presidential elections on 20 August, Estonia is temporary deploying its ESTCOY-E infantry company. Estonia has also supported the 2009 presidential and provincial council elections in Afghanistan with 500 000 kroons (32 000 EUR) through the United Nations Development Programme. According to Foreign Minister Paet, the upcoming elections will play an important role in shaping the future of Afghanistan.
Estonian’s updated Afghanistan strategy takes into account the changing international context, the situation in Afghanistan and also the experiences and lessons from Estonia’s work on the ground in Afghanistan. The summary of Estonia’s updated Afghanistan strategy can be found on the foreign ministry’s homepage: http://web-static.vm.ee/static/failid/305/Afganistan_eng.pdf
