Stenbock House, 15 October 2014 - Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas will attend the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) on 16-17 October in Milan, Italy. One of the focal interests for Estonia is closer economic relations and cooperation with Asian countries.
This year, Estonia is holding the presidency of the Nordic-Baltic Eight. On Friday, Prime Minister Rõivas will chair the meeting between the Nordic and Baltic countries and Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan. The meeting will focus on an agreement for the prevention of double taxation and on promoting cooperation in the fields of research and technology.
Estonia and Japan have very good relations, and cooperation between the two countries is good. Japan, an important partner for Estonia, has called for the release of Estonian Internal Security Service officer Eston Kohver. Japan has also expressed solidarity with Ukraine in the Ukrainian-Russian conflict and signalled its readiness to compromise on its economic and political interests to protect common values.
Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas is also planning to have bilateral meetings with the delegations of Vietnam and India to discuss cooperation and Estonia’s opportunities to export to those countries.
ASEM (Asia-Europe Meeting) is a platform for dialogue and cooperation between European and Asian countries. Estonia became a full member of ASEM on 8 October 2004. For Estonia, ASEM is an important political discussion forum that helps tighten links between European and Asian countries.