TALLINN, Sep 19, BNS - Secretary General of the Estonian Foreign Ministry Matti Maasikas has opened the first Estonian honorary consulate in that Southeast Asian country.
The Estonian honorary consul in Singapore is Narinder Sonny Kumar Aswani and the consulate is situated at 5 Shenton Way, 24-01 UIC Building, Singapore.
Born in Indonesia in 1963, Sonny Kumar Aswani graduated from Richmond College in 1984 and obtained a master's degree in management at the University of Kent in Canterbury.
He held the Estonia-based job of director general of Tolaram Baltics from 1995-2007. Starting from last year he works at Tolaram Group in Singapore, being one of the owners.
Sonny Kumar Aswani is founder of Tolaram Foundation, which helps disadvantaged and disabled people.
He has been decorated with the Estonian Order of the White Star, 4th Class.
Maasikas met on Friday with the foreign minister of Singapore, George Yong-Boon Yeo, with whom bilateral relations between the two countries were discussed. Also talked about were relations among the EU, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China, but also matters related to Russia and Georgia.
Maasikas gave an overview of the EU's positions as regards the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia.
Maasikas said that Singapore, one of the innovation hubs worldwide, has been for years among the Top 10 of investors in Estonia and is the country's most important trade partner in Southeast Asia. He said that many unused possibilities still exist, such as in the field of transit.
Mutual visits were discussed.
Yeo said Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip was awaited to make a visit to Singapore and Singapore's first deputy prime minister was planning a visit to Estonia.
Tallinn newsroom, +372 610 8861, sise@bns.ee
