“Kazakhstan, with whom we have a mutual neighbour, as well as Tonga and Angola clearly understand that Russia’s aggression has wide-ranging consequences that affect the entire global community,” President Karis explained. “They all agree that it would be better for the world if Russia ended the war.”
President Lourenço provided the Estonian head of state with an overview of the security situation and latest developments in Libya, the Sahel region and Africa more broadly.
Prime Minister Sovaleni spoke with President Karis about IT cooperation, since Tonga is interested in developing its digital state and is working with the e-Governance Academy. The two leaders also discussed the challenges brought by climate change and natural disasters, both of which are pressing issues for Tonga, which is situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. The Estonian head of state remarked that whereas for most people these issues remain nothing more than a talking point, small island nations are already bearing the brunt of their consequences.
Yesterday, the Estonian head of state spoke at a summit on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals at which he stressed to other national leaders that the impact of climate catastrophes, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and other conflicts are delaying the achievement of the goals and that more effort must be made to accelerate their fulfilment.
In his speech, President Karis focussed on digitalisation as an engine driving economic and social development. “Estonia has built up a digital ecosystem that is safe, transparent and effective and which saves both time and resources,” he said. “We have dedicated ourselves to sharing our experience with countries further afield. Armed with that knowledge, Suriname is analysing the management of its population data, Uganda is assessing its ICT system for education, the Solomon Islands are building up their national digital strategy and Namibia is working to close its digital gap. And these are just a few examples.”
