Afghan and Palestinian Diplomats to Receive Supplementary Training in Estonia
30.12.2009
Next year the Foreign Ministry will support the training of 10
Afghan and 15 Palestinian diplomats in a two-week programme at the
Estonian School of Diplomacy. Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said that the
goal of the training is to share Estonia’s experiences with building up
state institutions and a foreign service, thereby helping to increase
the capability of the Afghan government and Palestinian Authority to
communicate with the international community.
In its civil co-operation with Afghanistan, Estonia has prioritised
the areas of health care, education, and the establishment of good
governing practices. Foreign Minister Paet stated that in order to
successfully achieve the development of its nation, Afghanistan must be
able to depend on an effective foreign service. “Developing a foreign
service is one of the key elements during a period that is becoming a
crucial time for the future of Afghanistan and its neighbouring
countries,” said the foreign minister. Paet emphasised that in order
for the building up of the Afghan nation to be successful, the civil
contribution is absolutely necessary.
Foreign Minister Paet stated that Estonia’s co-operation with the
Palestinian Authority is becoming more and more active. “In October of
2009, within the framework of Estonia’s first development co-operation
project with Palestine, 20 officials from the Palestinian Authority
were introduced to the experiences of developing Estonia’s
e-government,” Paet noted, expressing hope that the training designed
for the diplomats of the Palestinian Authority would be as successful
as the previous project. Contacts formed within the course of the
training help to intensify co-operation between the nations even more.
The diplomats from Afghanistan and Palestine will gain knowledge
about diplomacy, international relations, and communicating with the EU
and NATO. They will also be introduced to the principles of the
operative functioning of the EU and NATO and Estonia’s experiences in
building up its own foreign service. The visitors to Estonia will also
meet with representatives from various Estonian institutions.
The Estonian School of Diplomacy has had multi-faceted co-operation
with Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and Armenia since 2003. Scholarship
programmes and training courses have been organised for the diplomats
and state officials of these countries. The Estonian School of
Diplomacy has also provided training for the diplomats of Iraq and
Kosovo.
Funding for the training for Afghan and Palestinian diplomats is
being allocated from the Foreign Ministry’s budget for development and
humanitarian aid.
For more detailed descriptions of Estonia’s development co-operation
projects from previous years, please visit the Foreign Ministry’s web
page at http://www.vm.ee/?q=en/taxonomy/term/55.
