Stenbock House, 21 August 2019 – Today, Prime Minister Jüri Ratas met with Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu, the Vice President of India, to discuss strengthening political, economic, digital, and educational cooperation as well as tightening the partnership between the two countries in international organisations.
“It is my sincere pleasure having been able to witness a constant strengthening of relations between Estonia and India in recent years. Indian students as well as start-ups have shown significant interest in Estonia,” said Prime Minister Jüri Ratas. “As a small open economy, Estonia has developed rapidly in the last decades, the result of which is its leading position in the fields of e-state solutions, cybersecurity, and blockchain technology. We are very willing to share our experience with India. Many Indian entrepreneurs are already good investment partners of ours and this process could lead to further cooperation in very many different economic fields. We are a member of the European Union’s internal market, which makes investing and expanding business activities in Estonia very attractive.”
Prime Minister Ratas suggested that Indian and Estonian universities should mutually recognise diplomas to make students feel more secure and open up new development possibilities for universities.
In addition to the aforementioned, the state leaders discussed Estonian plans as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. India is planning to apply for it in the Asian region for the years 2021–2022.
Estonia and India will sign three cooperation agreements during the visit. A memorandum on e-governance and digital cooperation will be signed between the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications and the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology and a memorandum on cyber cooperation between the Estonian Information System Authority and the Indian partner institution CERT. A visa waiver agreement for diplomatic passports will be signed with the Ministry of External Affairs as well.
The Indian Vice President is accompanied by a business delegation with representatives from the branches of IT, tourism, logistics, and retail trade, among others. Later today, Prime Minister Ratas will give a speech at the business forum for the Indian delegation and Enterprise Estonia. More information about the event: https://www.eas.ee/events/india-business-forum/.
Pictures from the meeting are available at: