Estonia has opened a representative trade office in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, with the purpose to strengthen economic ties with the UAE and expand export opportunities in the Persian Gulf region for the Estonian companies.
The opening ceremony took place on 10 February and was attended by the Estonian prime minister, Jüri Ratas, the minister of entrepreneurship and information technology, Rene Tammist, and a minister of the UAE, Ahmed Ali al-Sayegh.
“Opening an office in Dubai is certainly good news for our entrepreneurs and an important step to make the economic ties with the Persian Gulf region stronger,” Ratas said in a statement.
Tammist added that the country needed to make itself “more visible in the Middle East in order to open new export possibilities for the Estonian companies and, in addition, being present is important as the whole Persian Gulf region is becoming more and more important as a tourism destination”.
Helping Estonian entrepreneurs enter the UAE market
The trade office is manned by export manager Jukka Hahlanterä, whose job is to help Estonian entrepreneurs enter the UAE market and investors from the UAE to invest in Estonia.
“The UAE has a very dynamic market, things are happening here, but if you have a good and a unique product, everyone has a chance here, from heavy industries to the food sector,” he said in a statement.
There are more than 50 Estonian companies currently active in the region.
In the summer of 2019, Estonia will open its embassy in Abu Dhabi. There are also ongoing negotiations to open a direct flight between Estonia and the UAE, Enterprise Estonia said.
The trade office is located at the H Dubai Office Tower, 1 Sheikh Zayed Road.
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Cover: A minister of the UAE, Ahmed Ali al-Sayegh, at the opening of Estonia’s trade office in Dubai (images courtesy of EAS).
