Today, 9 July, Estonia’s Ambassador to Japan, Andres Unga, presented his credentials to His Majesty Emperor Naruhito of Japan. The credentials ceremony took place in the Throne Hall of the Imperial Palace.
During the conversation following the ceremony, Ambassador Unga conveyed the warm greetings of President Alar Karis to the Emperor, who accepted them and responded in kind. The discussion confirmed the excellent state of relations between Estonia and Japan and explored opportunities to further expand cooperation, including with Japan’s regions and prefectures.
Representing the Japanese government at the credentials ceremony was Minister Takao Makino, who thanked Estonia for its support in responding to the consequences of natural disasters. The two sides also discussed opportunities for further developing bilateral relations.
The ambassador stressed that cooperation between like-minded countries is essential in the current challenging international security environment. “The security of Europe and the Indo-Pacific is inseparably linked,” Unga said. “Security threats do not recognise geographical boundaries, and developments in one region inevitably affect others. That is why strengthening relations and expanding cooperation with Japan are of strategic importance to Estonia.”
Andres Unga has worked at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1991. He has served as Director General of the Protocol Department and the Personnel Department, and as Ambassador to Sweden (1996–2000), Greece (2003–2007) and China (2007–2012). Between 2012 and 2015, he served as non-resident ambassador to the countries of South-East Asia and Oceania (Australia, the Philippines (from 2013), Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and New Zealand), and from 2015 to 2019 as Ambassador to Australia, resident in Canberra, with accreditation to New Zealand, Indonesia, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and ASEAN.
From 2019 to 2022, Unga served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the People’s Republic of China and Mongolia. Until the beginning of this year, he was Director of the Middle East and Africa Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.