EMFA Foreign Minister Urmas Paet opened the Embassy of the Republic of Estonia in Cairo on Monday, 1 March. Paet stated that the embassy in Egypt is Estonia’s first representation in the Arab world and in Africa.
Foreign Minister Paet said that Estonia decided to establish its first embassy in Cairo based on the fact that Egypt is one of the leading nations of the Arab world and also plays a vital role in the Middle East peace process. “Relations between Estonia and Egypt have historically been good. Now Estonia is expanding its visibility and increasing its activity in the Middle East,” said Paet while opening the embassy. “In addition to intensifying bilateral relations, Estonia would also like to intensify relations with other Arab nations through its embassy in Cairo. It is important for Estonia to actively participate in the shaping of the European Union’s common foreign policy—the embassy in Cairo will also begin to represent Estonia in relations with the Arab League,” said Paet.
During the opening of the Estonian Embassy in Cairo, Paet noted that Egypt is one of the most important vacation destinations for Estonian tourists. “The existence of an embassy will help us aid Estonian citizens when necessary,” said Paet. “Estonian entrepreneurs also have a growing interest in Egypt. This includes the IT sector, the timber industry, and other areas,” Paet stated.
“Estonia now has two embassies in the Middle East. At the end of 2009 we opened an embassy in Tel Aviv, Israel,” said Paet, introducing the development of Estonia’s foreign relations.
The Estonian and Latvian embassies in Cairo are located in the same building and use some shared rooms in addition to their own embassy rooms. The Estonian and Latvian embassies also co-operate to provide consular aid to citizens.
Estonia has had a special mission in Cairo since 2007, and one of its goals was to prepare for the opening of an embassy. The Estonian Ambassador to Egypt is Tiia Miller, who currently resides in Tallinn. Tiia Miller will remain the non-residing ambassador until a residing ambassador is named.
The contact information for the Estonian Embassy in Cairo is:
8th floor, Abou El Feda Building
Abou El Feda 3, Zamalek
Cairo 11211
Egypt
Tel: (20) 27 384 190
Fax: (20) 27 384 189
E-mail:
http://www.kairo.vm.ee 