Estonian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates presents his credentials
On 1 September 2019, the new Estonian Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates H.E. Jaan Reinhold presented his Letters of Credence to the Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of the Emirate of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum at the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi.
At the meeting following the ceremony, H.H. Sheikh Mohammed welcomed new ambassadors and offered the support of the United Arab Emirates for developing bilateral relations that promote increasing knowledge and growing mutual trust as well as broadening opportunities for business relations.
“Meetings with the business circles of Estonia have demonstrated that our entrepreneurs have a notable interest in the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf States in general, especially in the fields of information technology, e-services and the defence industry, where products and services have a great export potential. Estonia’s decision to take part in EXPO world exhibition in Dubai is an important offer of support from the state to create new market opportunities, and the new embassy is assisting it in every way,” Ambassador Reinhold said.
The Embassy will also prioritise the local Estonian community. “More and more Estonians are living and doing business in the Gulf region and the Embassy will be offering services and consular assistance from a conveniently close location,” Ambassador said.
The decision to establish an embassy in Abu Dhabi was made by the Government of the Republic of Estonia in the autumn of 2018. H.E. Jaan Reinhold is the first Estonian Ambassador to permanently reside in Abu Dhabi. The Embassy premises will be formally opened during 2020. Opening the Embassy makes it easier to represent Estonia’s interests on site and bolster Estonia´s presence in the Gulf region.
The Embassy is set to represent Estonia also in the State of Kuwait, Kingdom on Bahrain and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Ambassador Jaan Reinhold was born on 13 January 1970 in Valga, Estonia. He graduated from the University of Tartu with a MA degree in history. Before joining the foreign service in 2003, Jaan Reinhold worked as a journalist for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. From 2006 to 2010, he was serving as DCM at the Estonian Embassy in Vilnius, Lithunia and then as Director of the Business Diplomacy at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. From 2011 to 2014, he served as Consul General in Shanghai, and then until 2017 as the Estonian Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Before his appointment to Abu Dhabi, Reinhold was serving as Ambassador at large on the Eastern Partnership and the Director of the Estonian Center of Eastern Partnership.
Photos: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmGDX1nP