Excellencies ministers and Members of Parliament,
Dear Singaporean guests, fellow Estonians, friends,
Mr President, I am especially delighted to host you in rose garden of Kadriorg during our lightest time of the year – during our very Nordic “white nights”.
Singapore and Estonia are both small countries and we will probably never agree, which one is smaller! Estonia by population, Singapore by territory.
Singapore and Estonia are small but our visions are and skills to realize them are widely acknowledged. We have shown to the world that small countries can not only exist, but thrive and lead in global landscape.
Unfortunately, Putin’s Russia has shown us all again in most brutal way that any country, especially smaller ones, cannot take even their existence for granted in today’s world, but probably never.
We are both the strongest and most vocal advocates of the international law and UN Charter, and looking forward to cooperating even more in support of the small countries interests in the UN.
Our countries have a lot in common, we think alike. We are relying on our most important resource – our people and knowledge. We are both committed to research and innovation, doing things smarter and creating solutions that improve the quality of lives globally. We are renowned for our agility, innovation, excellence in education and services to our people.
Last year, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations between Estonia and Singapore. In recent years we have had increasing number of high-level visits, the opening Estonian only Embassy in South East Asia in Singapore.
Even more importantly, we have seen increasing exchange of our business delegations, investors, our university and research people, experts from countless fields. Some are also present here tonight.
Our dynamic economic and digital ecosystems make us both best gateways to our respective regions and beyond, paving the way for new technologies, ideas, and collaborations. We see great opportunities for Estonian and Singaporean companies, especially in mutually important fields, – cybersecurity, defense, cleantech, foodtech and deeptech.
We have created strategic partnerships, for mutual research, innovation. Increasing number of MoUs have been signed between our cybersecurity institutions or start-up ecosystems to take cooperation to a very practical level. Digital-green twin transition calls for action and our collaboration could open up new sustainable pathways for humankind.
Smart nation is the cornerstone of our states and the importance of education is the value we share and I see as on opportunity for mutual learning. Singapore and Estonia have a strong partnership in education. Both countries consistently rank highly in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings, as proved again last week by newest PISA results on Creative Thinking.
We continue to share experiences and best practices in education policies and systems, including how to apply AI solutions for the benefit of the future of our children and societies.
Dear Colleague and Madam President,
Once again, my warmest welcome at this historical first presidential visit to Estonia. Allow me to propose a toast to the happiness and prosperity of the people of Singapore, to the fruitful cooperation between our two countries and smart nations and to your health, dear friends.
