《TAIPEI TIMES》 Taiwan, Estonian body mulling more work in Ukraine

By Liu Tzu-hsuan / Staff reporter

Taiwan is deliberating plans to bolster cooperation with the Estonian Center for International Development to help rebuild Ukraine, President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） said yesterday.

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Tsai welcomed a delegation led by Estonian Member of Parliament Kristo Enn Vaga to Taiwan and thanked them for showing support for the nation with concrete actions.

The Estonian government and the group have been voicing support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the WHO for four consecutive years while Vaga — who is chairman of the Estonia-Taiwan Friendship Group — has repeatedly called for Taiwan’s international participation, she said.

Taiwan and Estonia share the universal values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law, and are at the forefront of fighting the expansion of authoritarianism, she said.

The two countries have also been supporting Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in 2022, including a new plan aiming to provide practical assistance for infrastructure rebuilding, the president said.

She called for the delegation’s help to promote exchanges between Taiwan and Estonia in information and communications technology, and precision machinery, as well as expanding cooperation in other fields.

Vaga said that the trip is to demonstrate the Estonian parliament’s cross-party support for Taiwan and the country’s commitment to deepening ties with democratic partners under its values-based foreign policy.

The delegation is working hard to find the best possibilities to open a Taiwanese representative office in Tallinn, he said.

Estonia hopes to work with Taiwan on the development and adoption of new technologies, which would help benefit the people and extend democracy, he said.

Taiwan’s dedication to helping Ukraine amid constant threats and pressure from China demonstrates its commitment to promoting democracy around the world, he said.

On Wednesday, the delegation attended a banquet hosted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu （吳釗燮）, who said he hoped the delegation — comprising eight first-time visitors to Taiwan — would gain a deeper understanding of the nation’s democratic way of life.

The cooperation between Taiwan and Estonia in helping Ukraine is a show of unity between democratic countries, which can help bolster the resilience of global democracy, Wu said.

Earlier on Wednesday, the delegation met with Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je （柯文哲）.

Ko said that he was impressed by the digitalization of the Estonian government during his visit to the European country in 2020, when he was Taipei mayor.

Estonia has many islands and is sparsely populated, which led to the need for digitalization, Vaga said.

More than half of the votes for the Estonian parliamentary election in March last year were conducted online, he said, adding that personal asset management and marriage registration can also be completed via the Internet.

Ko spoke with Vaga, who was formerly a professional cyclist, about a one-day cycling trip he completed from Taipei to Kaohsiung last month.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES