Estonia, Vietnam connected by global security challenges

TALLINN - Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna met with his Vietnamese counterpart Bui Thanh Son in Tallinn on Friday, and said that Estonia and Vietnam are connected by global security challenges despite the geographical distance between them.

"Russia's aggression against Ukraine has shown the interconnectedness of security in Europe and Asia. Increasing military cooperation between Russia and North Korea, including the use of North Korean soldiers and missiles against Ukraine, poses a threat to both European and Asian countries," Tsahkna said. "In order to ensure global security, it is important to ensure that Russia does not succeed in its aggression."

Tsahkna said that Europe and Asia are also connected by the environmental threat emanating from Russia's shadow fleet, as well as the challenges in protecting critical underwater infrastructure. 

"Estonia and Vietnam were both non-permanent members of the UN Security Council in 2020 and 2021, and at that time we stood together for the principles of the UN Charter and international law. With its aggression against its neighbor, Russia is violating these principles cruelly and blatantly," Tsahkna said. 

The meeting also discussed the strengthening of economic cooperation, with the greatest potential in the field of digital services and advanced manufacturing, and cooperation in international organizations, mainly in the UN, but also between the European Union and Vietnam and between the EU and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

In addition, Tsahkna opened the Estonian-Vietnam Business Forum held in Tallinn and, together with his Vietnamese colleague, signed a memorandum of cooperation between the foreign ministries of Estonia and Vietnam and, on behalf of the Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, a memorandum of cooperation in the field of digital transformation and digital economy.

The foreign minister of Vietnam is in Estonia as part of the delegation of the prime minister of Vietnam.