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PHILIPPINE EMBASSY LEADS CELEBRATION OF 30 YEARS OF DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN THE PHILIPPINES AND ESTONIA

 

Top row, L-R: Ms. Alena Borra, First Secretary & Consul of the Philippine Embassy; H.E. Väino Reinart, Estonian Ambassador to the Philippines; Mr. Meelis Virkebau, Philippine Honorary Consul in Estonia; H.E. Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz, Philippine Ambassador to Estonia
Second row, L-R: Mr. Fernando Martin O. Peña, Estonian Honorary Consul in the Philippines; H.E. Archbishop Petar Rajič, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to Estonia; Ms. Liisi Kirschenberg, Export Services Coordinator, Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Bottom row, L-R: Ambassador Mati Murd, Director for Asia Pacific Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia; Ms. Merike Grünthal, Asia Pacific Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
 

18 December 2021 - The Philippine Embassy in Warsaw led the commemoration of the 30th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between the Republic of the Philippines and the Republic of Estonia by hosting a virtual get-together with Estonia’s Foreign Ministry officials and special guests on 15 December 2021.  The actual anniversary falls on Sunday, 19 December.

H.E. Leah M. Basinang-Ruiz, the Philippines’ non-resident Ambassador to Estonia, welcomed the guests to the virtual reception and invited her counterpart, Estonian Ambassador to the Philippines H.E. Väino Reinart, to deliver the opening remarks.

“I am truly pleased to be able to play my personal role in building upon the recent history of our relationship by further developing the excellent relationship between our nations,” Ambassador Reinart said, noting that he was privileged to have led the first Estonian business delegation to the Philippines in 2019, just before the pandemic.  “Although we have not been able to meet quite as often as we would have liked to recently, I am pleased to note that despite the covid-related travel restrictions, we have been able to build close working relationships with the key institutions of the Philippines responsible for designing and promoting digital developments.”

The celebration featured special messages from Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. and Estonia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Rein Tammsaar.
 

“Year after year, Estonia continues to be recognized as the most advanced digital society, and among the leading innovators in Europe,” Secretary Locsin remarked in his message for the milestone anniversary.  “These are very important areas where close cooperation is sure to do a world of good.”

“We have a mutual interest in advancing innovation and the use of technology and digitalization to bring services closer to our peoples, to increase productivity, and to drive prosperity,” he added.


Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro L. Locsin, Jr. delivers a special message for the 30th year of PH-Estonia diplomatic relations.

 

Deputy Minister Tammsaar agreed, stating in his own message: “Our companies are already sharing this experience with the Philippines, and I am convinced that this mutually beneficial cooperation in e-governance, cyber and other sectors will only intensify during the coming years.”

Cooperation in various other areas is equally important for Estonia, Mr. Tammsaar emphasized:  “In order to expand our bilateral cooperation, it is essential to foster people-to-people contacts. Many Estonians have enjoyed the warm hospitality of the Philippine tourism sector, and some of us have been contributing to projects that help local communities in the Philippines to cope with drastic effects of climate change. I hope the restrictions for international travel caused by the pandemic will soon be completely erased and we can resume the travel in both directions.”


Estonian Deputy Foreign Minister Rein Tammsaar delivers a special message for the milestone anniversary.

 

Special guests who delivered greetings include H.E. Archbishop Petar Rajič, Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to Estonia; Mr. Meelis Virkebau, Philippine Honorary Consul in Estonia; Mr. Fernando Martin O. Peña, Estonian Honorary Consul in the Philippines; and Ms. Liisi Kirschenberg, Export Services Coordinator, Estonian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Mr. Mati Murd, Director for the Asia Pacific Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, noted that “we have every reason to celebrate as our friendly relations have advanced over the years.  I am especially pleased that in addition to the official relations, there are more and more people-to-people contacts between our countries.”

Ambassador Ruiz concluded the event by thanking the Foreign Ministry of Estonia for their “very active support and collaboration” with the Philippine Embassy in looking for ways to further expand bilateral relations between the Philippines and Estonia, and committed to visiting Tallinn as soon as conditions permit in order to follow up on opportunities for more business and cultural exchanges.

The video of the event may be viewed at the Embassy’s YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2LxKHk1fT3DdF6C5qgLE6g) and official Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/PHLinPoland/).  END