Opening of 3 Indian Missions in Estonia, Paraguay and Dominican Republic

Opening of 3 Indian Missions in Estonia, Paraguay and Dominican Republic

• Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister has cleared the proposal from the Ministry of External Affairs to open three missions in Estonia, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic in 2021.
• While the government had announced the opening of 18 missions in 2018, not all of them have been established yet.
• Opening of the newly announced missions may be further delayed by the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Significance

• The opening of the missions will help expand India’s diplomatic footprint and deepen political relations. It would bolster political outreach in multilateral fora.
• It will enable the growth of bilateral trade, investment and economic engagements.
• Enhancement of India’s diplomatic presence will provide market access for companies and bolster exports of goods and services.
• It would be instrumental in facilitating stronger people-to-people contacts.
• The move would also help the diaspora members residing in these countries.
• It would help garner support for the foreign policy objectives.
• It would also strengthen ties in trade and cybersecurity.

Estonia

• It is a country on the eastern coast of the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe.
• Capital: Tallin
• It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea , to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Lake Peipus and Russia.
• In 2005 Estonia became the first state to hold elections over the Internet, and in 2014, the first state to provide e-residency.

Paraguay

• Capital: Asunción
• It is a country in South America.
• It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest.
• It is a landlocked country.

Dominican Republic

• It is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean region.
• Capital: Santo Domingo
• Both Paraguay and the Dominican Republic had set up missions in Delhi in 2006.
• India and Estonia will serve together in the Security Council in 2021.