Estonian formin calls for visa-freedom in Brazil 
16.04.2008
TALLINN, Apr 16, BNS - Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet raised the topic of visa-free travel during a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart Celso Amorim in Brazil, spokespeople for the Estonian Foreign Ministry said.
In the words of both ministers the issue needs to be solved as quickly as possible. The ministers expressed the hope that the solution will come soon in collaboration with the European Union and citizens of Estonia will be able to travel to Brazil without a visa.
Paet said in parliament in February that Estonia is working both within the framework of the EU as well as bilaterally to achieve visa-freedom with Brazil, whose citizens can enter all EU states without a visa.
The foreign ministers of Estonia and Brazil also spoke about the development of relations between the two countries, cooperation in international organizations and developments in Latin America.
Paet stressed that relations between Estonia and Brazil were very good already in the 1920s and 1930s. He thanked Brazil for non-recognition of Estonia's annexation by the Soviet Union and allowing Estonian consulates to continue their work.
Estonia is also today interested in further strengthening of political, economic and cultural ties with Brazil, he said.
"Brazil is a country with a rapidly developing and rising economy, and I hope that the agreement on the avoidance of double taxation that is currently under work will contribute to the development of our relations too," said the Estonian minister.
As Amorim said, Brazilians have started to invest more boldly and search for new countries of destination for their investments. There is also interest toward expanding economic ties. A visit by a business mission could be talked about, he said.
The ministers paid a lot of attention to the stalled reform of the UN Security Council. In the opinion of both of them one has to go on with the reform and increase the Security Council's transparency.
Paet and Amorim spoke also about the use of environment-friendly renewable sources of energy like biofuel and hydro energy, and climate change.
Their other topics included development of strategic partnership between the European Union and Brazil, a wish of countries of South America to set up a union similar to the EU called UNASUR, relations of Estonia and the EU with Russia, the situation in Cuba and Haiti, and latest developments in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Paet is scheduled to open an Estonian honorary consulate in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday and then proceed to Argentina.
Tallinn newsroom, +372 610 8861, sise@bns.ee
 
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