Tallinn, Stenbock House, 12 January 2018 – according to Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, today’s visit of the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe and the accompanying representative delegation of business leaders will support the growth of Japanese investments in Estonia.
“The convention for the elimination of double taxation concluded between Japan and Estonia in August will soon enter into force. In addition, agreements on cooperation in research and technology, on a tourist visa programme that would include the right to work, and on many other issues are being prepared,” said Ratas and added that in the future, the focus will shift to cooperation in cybersecurity and sharing experiences in the digital area.
According to Ratas, Estonia is a digital society with an open and reliable economic environment where Japanese entrepreneurs are welcome to develop, for example, e-government solutions, self-driving vehicles, and artificial intelligence. “Sumitomo and Toftan, Mistletoe and Funderbeam, Marubeni and E-Piim, as well as Rakuten and Fits.me or Lingvist are only a few encouraging examples of the increasing economic cooperation between Estonia and Japan. Additionally, Estonia has 800 Japanese e-residents and this number is growing consistently,” the prime minister noted.
Shinzō Abe is the first Japanese prime minister to visit Estonia, as well as the first head of government of a foreign state to visit the Republic of Estonia in the year of its centenary. Ratas and Abe confirmed that the relations between Estonia and Japan are good. “Japanese entrepreneurs have increasing trust in the economic environment of Estonia and tourists have discovered the beautiful nature and cultural heritage of the country. I am also glad that Japan will soon become a contributing participant with regard to the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence, which is located in Tallinn,” Ratas said.
During the meeting, the prime ministers also discussed the situation of security in the world. According to Ratas, Estonia is concerned about the nuclear and missile testing in North Korea, just like the rest of the world. “However, we must be more than bystanders in this situation and stand up for the enforcement of UN and EU sanctions against North Korea,” Ratas said. The prime minister also said that it is important to ensure that the sanctions against Russia remain in force until the Minsk agreements have been performed in full and the territorial integrity of Ukraine has been restored.
Photos from the meetings (Raul Mee): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5bdrk02fbmn1akz/AAC3gU2MmguH8QXZSuB9bsFKa?dl=0