A delegation from the Estonian parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee led by Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the committee, met with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) in Taipei on Friday. Both sides exchanged ideas on deepening cooperation and confronting authoritarian expansionism.
Tien on Friday hosted a lunch banquet for the members of the Estonian Foreign Affairs Committee, including Henn Polluaas, Eerik-Niiles Kross, Ester Karuse and Luisa Roivas, as well as committee head secretariat Birgit Keerd-Leppik, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
Taiwan-Estonia relations have steadily grown in recent years, with deepening communication and visits to each other, Tien said during the banquet.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
A joint delegation of foreign affairs committee chairs from the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, visited Taiwan in August last year, and a delegation led by Estonia-Taiwan Support Group chairman Kristo Enn Vaga also visited Taiwan in March, showing their support for Taiwan, he said.
“Estonia is a highly technological society, which is very impressive, and Taiwan has a strong position in global semiconductor production, so hopefully the two sides can explore further cooperation in the fields of information and technology,” the ministry cited Tien as saying.
Mikhelson said that Estonia and Taiwan are on the front line of confronting authoritarian expansionism, and the global democratic camp should stand in unity in facing the challenges posed by China and Russia to regional security and stability.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, Estonia provided substantial resources to Ukraine and cooperated with Taiwan in assisting its recovery, so he believes the two countries can continue to deepen cooperative relations in the future, the ministry cited Mihkelson as saying.
The delegation also met with President William Lai (賴清德) at the Presidential Office building on Friday.
Lai thanked Estonia for its staunch support for Taiwan’s international participation, and said that as they face expanding authoritarianism, which is challenging the values of freedom and democracy, and the rules-based international order, it is imperative that like-minded nations unite and work together to safeguard global peace, stability and prosperity.
Mihkelson said he hopes one day the two nations can establish representative offices in each other’s country, the Presidential Office said.
Mihkelson also highlighted the need for democracies to stick together, citing how the aim of Russia and its supporters is not only to seize Ukraine, but also to change the world order, the ministry said.
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