On 5 August, the Estonian ambassador to the United States, Jonatan Vseviov, signed a new memorandum of cooperation with the US state of Maryland with the aim of developing relations between Estonia and the Maryland state government.
Although the close cooperation between Estonia and Maryland began in the early 1990s with military cooperation, links have now expanded to include many areas, such as education, cyber space, youth exchange and health care, the Estonian foreign ministry said in a statement.
The signing ceremony took place in Annapolis, the capital of Maryland.
“We have a long-running cooperation in security and defence with the state of Maryland and we are definitely interested in continuing our comprehensive cooperation with the United States, including on state level,” the Estonian foreign minister, Urmas Reinsalu, said in a statement.
“It can be said that Estonia and the US state of Maryland have a special relationship that includes both the practical as well as the symbolic,” ambassador Vseviov added. “Much of that cooperation takes place on the level of citizens and thanks to help from volunteers.”
Helps Estonia showcase the country
“The signed and updated memorandum of cooperation sends a clear message: the cooperation between Estonia and Maryland is also important politically – both to us as well as the state.”
According to the foreign ministry, cooperation with Maryland helps Estonia showcase the country in the US; “among other things, our close links with Maryland have inspired [it] to take an interest in learning from Estonia’s experience with e-solutions, and, if possible, implementing them. Maryland is also a good launch pad for Estonian companies entering the US market,” the ministry noted.
The state of Maryland lies on the East Coast of the United States and is part of the Washington, DC, area.
Cover: The signing ceremony took place in Annapolis, the capital of Maryland. Images courtesy of the Estonian foreign ministry.
