Estonian president to start state visit to Kuwait

TALLINN – Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid is scheduled to start a three-day state visit to Kuwait on Monday to foster  digital cooperation between the two countries as well as promote Estonian entrepreneurs' interests in the Gulf region.

The president will be in Kuwait until Wednesday, meeting with Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, and Speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly Marzouq al-Ghanim, spokespeople for the president's office have said. 

A cooperation memorandum for digital development was signed between Estonia and Kuwait in late October. As the memorandum focuses on e-governance and cyber security, topics to be discussed at the meeting include cooperation opportunities in these areas. Kuwait is presently a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, and as Estonia will also take up its non-permanent seat in the Council from January 2020, the Estonian president seeks to learn about Kuwait's experience. 

The Estonian head of state will be accompanied during the state visit by an official delegation, which includes among others Enn Eesmaa, chairman of the foreign affairs committee of the Riigikogu, and Toomas Luman, chairman of the Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Also accompanying the president will be a 14-strong business delegation consisting of representatives of IT, fintech as well as defense and furniture industries. At a meeting with Ali Mohammed Thunayan Al-Ghanim, chairman of the Kuwaiti  Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Estonian businesses' opportunities for expanding to the Gulf region will also be discussed.

The previous state visit to Kuwait was made by former Estonian president Lennart Meri in 1993.