New consul appointed to strengthen ties with Estonia
Fiji has appointed a new Honorary Consul to Estonia to strengthen our existing ties and develop new avenues of co-operation. Vlad Alex Vernygora was officially commissioned to represent Fiji when Estonia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs formally recognised his appointment at a ceremony in Estonia’s capital, Tallinn. Mr Vernygora - a lecturer in law at the Talllinn University of Technology - has had a strong professional interest in the Asia Pacific region and says he is especially keen to promote Fiji’s interests across a broad front in Estonia and the wider Baltic region. Estonia itself has embarked on a stronger engagement with Fiji that incudes a donation of 100,000 Euros to help finance Fiji’s Presidency of COP23. In congratulating Mr Vernygora on his appointment, the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Voreqe Bainimarama, said he was well placed to build on an already solid relationship and explore new levels of political, economic and social co-operation. “The Fijian Government is pleased that we now have an official presence in Estonia and we look forward to working with our new Honorary Consul to take the relationship to another level.
“At the start of our current Parliamentary sitting in Fiji, I specifically thanked Estonia - along with our other COP donors – for its generosity in helping to fund our COP23 campaign. And I again take the opportunity, with this appointment, to salute the Estonian Government for its commitment in joining the vulnerable nations in the fight against climate change,” the Prime Minister said.
While Fiji and Estonia have had diplomatic relations since 2008, Mr Vernygora is Fiji’s first Honorary Consul there. He will report to Fiji’s Head of Mission to the European Union, Ambassador Deo Saran, who said he was confident that the appointment would give Fiji a much higher profile in Estonia and the rest of the region.