Eesti in brief - 2012-01-19

  • 2012-01-18

The Russian State Duma ratified last week the pension insurance cooperation agreement between Estonia and Russia, reports National Broadcasting. Russian healthcare and social development deputy minister Juri Voronin said that the agreement corresponds to the interests of Russia and its co-nationals who live in the Estonian territory. According to the new pension agreement between the states, concluded in July last year, both states pay pensions irrespective of which country’s territory a person lives on. Russian military pensioners who have so far received a pension from Russia for serving in the armed forces have the right to get a pension from Estonia for years worked in Estonia. The Estonian Riigikogu ratified the agreement in September.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet stressed on Jan. 17 at a meeting with business organizations that Estonia’s economic interests play a key aspect in opening new foreign representations, reports LETA. Foreign Minister Paet met with representatives of Enterprise Estonia, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and the Estonian Employers’ Confederation to discuss the Foreign Ministry’s cooperation with business organizations to protect the interests of Estonian entrepreneurs abroad. He stated that Estonia’s foreign representations have the important task of supporting Estonian companies, protecting their interests, and providing them with support to resolve problems abroad. “In 2011 we opened a consulate general in Shanghai and an embassy in Astana. This year a representation will start working in India,” he said. During the meeting, Paet noted that cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and business organizations has been good and reciprocally supportive. He also highlighted the smooth cooperation between the Foreign Ministry and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in organizing business visits and in receiving foreign business delegations in Estonia. “Next week is the joint visit of the Estonian and Finnish ministers to Indonesia, where they will be accompanied by business delegations from both countries,” said the foreign minister.