Philippines and Estonia Hold Inaugural Political Consultations in Tallinn
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa Lazaro (5th from left) co-chaired the Inaugural Philippines-Estonia Political Consultations with the Undersecretary for Political Affairs Kyllike Sillaste-Elling of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tallinn (5th from right). (Photo credit: Warsaw PE).
TALLINN 10 October 2023 – Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Bilateral Relations and ASEAN Affairs Ma. Theresa P. Lazaro co-Chaired the inaugural Philippines-Estonia Political Consultations with Undersecretary for Political Affairs Kyllike Sillaste-Elling of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tallinn on 04 October 2023.
Undersecretary Lazaro expressed her sincere appreciation to Undersecretary Sillaste-Elling for hosting the inaugural political consultations soon after the signing last month of the memorandum of understanding establishing a bilateral mechanism. Both countries agreed that they would work closely together to explore ways to expand cooperation, deepen economic and sectoral ties, and identify partnership opportunities between the Philippines and Estonia.
“The basis of this relationship is our shared values in democracy, the rule of law and the rules-based international order,” Undersecretary Lazaro said. “We have excellent foundations for us to chart new engagements between our countries for the mutual benefit of our peoples.”
The two co-Chairs looked forward to the finalization of a Memorandum of Understanding on Digital Cooperation, which will provide a framework for future collaborative activities between the Philippines and Estonia. Undersecretary Lazaro acknowledged that the Philippines had much to learn from Estonia’s expertise in digitalization and e-government, innovation, and in cybersecurity, all of which play an important part in improving connectivity, efficiency and transparency in both the public and private sectors. Estonia hosted the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Global Summit back-to-back with the Tallinn Digital Summit last month in Tallinn, with significant high-level Philippine representation in both summits.
Estonia’s Undersecretary Sillaste-Elling noted that establishing crisis management systems to further enhance resilience was a new area of interest that emerged from the OGP Global Summit, and expressed interest in the Philippine perspective in this area, including the Philippines’ vast experience in engaging with its diaspora.
The Philippine and Estonian delegations also discussed sectoral cooperation in maritime, education and culture, trade and investments, science and technology, and people-to-people exchanges. They exchanged views on regional and international issues, particularly on geopolitical developments in the Indo Pacific, West Philippine Sea, and Ukraine.
The inaugural political consultations capped a three-day visit by Undersecretary Lazaro to Estonia from 2 to 4 October, during which she also had meetings with officials responsible for foreign affairs, parliamentary cooperation, economic affairs and ICT, digitalization and cyber security.
In her meeting with Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Estonian President Celia Kuningas-Saagpakk, Undersecretary Lazaro discussed developments in the Indo Pacific and in Europe, with both officials noting the importance placed by both countries in upholding international law and the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro (leftmost) meets with Foreign Affairs Adviser to the Estonian President Celia Kuningas-Saagpakk (2nd from right). (Photo credit: Warsaw PE).
The Undersecretary also encouraged active parliamentary exchanges between the Philippines and Estonia, an idea welcomed by Member of Parliament and former Acting Foreign Minister Mr. Andres Sutt during their meeting at the Riigikogu, Estonia’s Parliament.
Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro (center) meets with Member of Parliament and former Acting Foreign Minister Mr. Andres Sutt (3rd from left). (Photo credit: Warsaw PE).
Undersecretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro meets with Deputy Secretary General for Digital Development and Chief Information Officer of the Government of Estonia Mr. Luukas Ilves. (Photo credit: Warsaw PE).
Digital cooperation and e-governance were the focus of the Undersecretary’s meeting with Estonia’s Deputy Secretary General for Digital Development and Chief Information Officer of the Government of Estonia Mr. Luukas Ilves, who emphasized that having political will to carry out digitization initiatives was key to enabling big leaps within a few years, and that establishing a secure digital identity for each citizen was central to any country’s digitalization journey. The Undersecretary confirmed that the MOU on Digital Cooperation between the Philippines and Estonia was moving forward, which is part of the Philippines' efforts to jump start bilateral digital initiatives and support the Marcos Administration’s push for an effective e-government system in the Philippines.
To round up engagements during her visit, Undersecretary Lazaro delivered a lecture at the University of Tallinn which put into context the Philippines' paramount principles underlining its foreign policy, provided insights into the Southeast Asian country's perspectives on the global order, and highlighted the centrality of ASEAN in the Indo Pacific. The Undersecretary also discussed developments in the West Philippine Sea, a potential flashpoint in the Indo Pacific region.
Photo: Undersecretary Lazaro delivers a lecture on Philippine foreign policy priorities at the University of Tallinn. (Photo credit: Warsaw PE).
The high-level visit is part of the Philippines’ efforts to enhance its relations with Estonia and continue the momentum gained when President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. met with Estonia’s Prime Minister Kaja Kallas on the sidelines of the ASEAN-EU Summit in Brussels in December 2022. END
