Bahrain is one of priorities for Estonia in Gulf region

TALLINN – During his visit to Bahrain last week, Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna met with his Bahraini counterpart, Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, on the sidelines of a security conference.

Tsahkna stated that Bahrain is one of priority countries for Estonia in the Gulf region, and Estonia is seeking ways to enhance communication between the two countries.

Speaking about global security, Tsahkna explained Estonia's position on the Russian aggression.

"We lived under Soviet occupation for more than 50 years and lost more than a tenth of our population, so we know well what Putin's ambitions entail," Tsahkna said, emphasizing that these ambitions have not changed.

The Estonian minister stressed that grey areas are not a solution to the conflict, but will only prolong it.

"Words must be matched by deeds. We need to take responsibility and concrete and bold steps, both in the Middle East and in Europe, to restore peace and a world order based on rules and international law," he said.

In a conversation with Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Bahrain's minister of trade, the two sides talked about stepping up practical cooperation, particularly in the fields of cyber and innovation.

"When Estonia restored its independence, we had nothing. We had to rebuild our country from scratch and we saw an opportunity, and now we have more than 30 years of experience in developing the digital state," Tsahkna said.

"In my meetings in Qatar, I emphasized that Russia's aggression against Ukraine is not merely a regional problem but a global threat, the response to which will determine the future and security of the entire world," Tsahkna wrote on social media. "I commended Qatar's significant contribution to helping deported Ukrainian children to return home, and we also discussed the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. Estonia supports diplomatic efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region -- I believe that a two-state solution is the only path toward stability."

On the fringes of the conference, Tsahkna met with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, the European Union special representative for the Horn of Africa, Annette Weber, and Australian Deputy Foreign Minister Tim Watts to discuss global security and bilateral relations.  

On Sunday, Tsahkna participated in a discussion focusing on global security and security in the Middle East. He was also set to meet with Bahrain's parliament speaker Ahmed bin Salman Al Musallam and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.