Finland and Estonia to launch diplomatic mission cooperation

Press release 243/2005
10 August, 2005


Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja signed on 10 August an agreement concerning launch of diplomatic mission cooperation in New Delhi, India. Estonia proposed cooperation with Finland in the premises of the Finnish Embassy, New Delhi in spring 2005. The Foreign Ministry of India has accepted the cooperation arrangement, starting on 1 September, 2005.

So far, Estonia has had a Consulate General in New Delhi and it will continue its operation, for the time being. Estonia will post a consular officer to the premises of the Finnish Embassy. The Estonian consular officer will handle the consular affairs concerning Estonia. Otherwise there will be no changes in the operations and services of the Finnish Embassy.

It is important for Estonia to expand its network of foreign missions in different parts of the world. Finland is positively inclined towards increased mission cooperation with Estonia in the diplomatic posts where there are suitable premises and other necessary prerequisites for cooperation. Reciprocally, Estonia is prepared to offer Finland cooperation in posts where Estonia has a diplomatic mission, but Finland doesn’t. Through cooperation, Finland and Estonia are seeking, for example, to save costs and achieve synergy. As far as applicable, the cooperation between Estonia and Finland will follow similar principles as the mission cooperation between the Nordic Countries in, for instance, Berlin, Nicosia, Ljubljana and Bratislava. Among the Nordic Countries, Finland has had diplomatic mission cooperation particularly with Sweden.

Further information: Legal Counsellor, Department for Administrative Affairs, Elisa Kumpula, tel. +358 9 1605 5928