Foreign Minister Liimets: addressing Afghanistan requires dialogue with Central Asian countries

On Thursday 23 September, Foreign Minister Eva-Maria Liimets had bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Georgia, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Saudi Arabia and Belarus during the UN General Assembly. During the week, Liimets had 17 bilateral meetings in New York with representatives of various countries.

The meeting with the Foreign Minister of Georgia David Zalkaliani reaffirmed the close relations between the two countries. Estonia has kept the security of the region in focus during its elected membership of the UN Security Council. Liimets reaffirmed Estonia's strong support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia and the country's Euro-Atlantic integration. "I underlined that Georgia needed to continue implementing reforms and building the rule of law, and expressed concern over a lack of dialogue between parties, which hinders development," Minister Liimets said.

When it comes to Afghanistan, it is crucial to have closer contacts with Central Asian countries and help them cope with increased instability in the region. Developments in Afghanistan were also discussed when Liimets met with the Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Ruslan Kazakbaev, and they also talked about digital cooperation. "Kyrgyzstan is using the e-governance solution created in Estonia. I hope this work continues, as the development of e-governance and digitalisation are important for increasing transparency in society and contributes to the growth of prosperity," Liimets said.

At her meeting with the Foreign Minister of Belarus Vladimir Makei, she discussed bilateral issues, the relations of Belarus and the European Union, and security tensions in the region.

Meetings with the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud and the Foreign Minister of Kuwait Ahmed Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Sabah focused on the potential for bilateral cooperation and developments in the Middle East.

The foreign minister made virtual statements at the ministerial meetings of the Alliance for Multilateralism and the Coalition on Information and Democracy.

Additional information:

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Communication Department
[email protected]