Foreign Minister Tsahkna in South Africa: visa freedom is crucial for Estonian citizens and companies travelling to South Africa
From 10 to 12 November, Margus Tsahkna was on the first visit by an Estonian foreign minister to South Africa, attending Africa Tech Festival with a business delegation, meeting with South Africa’s IT minister Solly Malatsi and opening an honorary consul’s office in Cape Town today.
Attending a panel on innovation and boosting state services at the Africa Tech Festival, Tsahkna said Estonia would continue to look for innovative solutions with the private sector to make public services more personal and user-friendly. “We are happy to share our experiences because on this journey of nearly 30 years, we have made many mistakes that others do not have to repeat,” he said.
On the sidelines of the Africa Tech Festival, he met with South Africa’s IT minister Solly Malatsi to discuss boosting cooperation on digital affairs and innovation. “Many companies in Estonia have a great interest in South Africa and I can see many opportunities for closer cooperation that could create new and interesting opportunities for us both.”
Tsahkna underlined that visa freedom for Estonian citizens when travelling to South Africa was crucial to advancing economic relations. He also encouraged South African entrepreneurs to make use of the opportunities offered by Estonia’s e-residency programme. “Estonia currently has 415 South African e-residents, and 126 of them have registered a company in Estonia,” Tsahkna said. “I encourage South Africans to use this opportunity and I explained what kind of doors this would open in not just Estonia but also the EU common market.”
The Estonian business delegation included digital and tech companies Bolt, Admirals, Latitude59, SK Consultancy, B.Est Solutions and Aktors.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also organised a panel discussion at the Africa Tech Festival focused on how digital solutions help simplify entrepreneurship. The panel was moderated by Estonian Ambassador to South Africa Daniel Schaer.
Today, Tsahkna opened Estonia’s honorary consul’s office in Cape Town at the Cape Grace Hotel. Opening the office, Tsahkna said the first Estonian reached South Africa as early as 1663 and South Africa is gaining popularity among Estonian tourists and entrepreneurs. Estonia’s honorary consul in Cape Town is Lasse Ristolainen. The honorary consul’s office is located at the Cape Grace Hotel on Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront.
From South Africa, Tsahkna will go on a two-day visit to London, UK, where he will meet with the British foreign secretary, secretary for European and North American affairs, national security adviser and the foreign affairs committee of the parliament. He is also giving a lecture at King’s College and attends the dinner of the Magnitsky Human Rights Awards.
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