AFGHAN DELEGATION VISITS ESTONIA TO STUDY NATION

UNCLAS TALLINN 000599

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
SENSITIVE

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL PGOV EN
SUBJECT: AFGHAN DELEGATION VISITS ESTONIA TO STUDY NATION
BUILDING



1. (U) Summary: Estonia recently hosted a high-level
delegation from Afghanistan to discuss issues relating to
nation building and e-governance. Although our Estonian
interlocutors believe the Afghans are unlikely to implement
what they learned about e-government in the near future,
they believe the trip provided the Afghans with inspiration
of what a country in transition can become. End summary.


2. (U) The week of June 12 Estonia received its first-ever
official delegation from Afghanistan. The group consisted
of members of the Afghan parliament and government
agencies. The purpose of the visit was a fact finding
mission about Estonian "e-government." The visit took
place in cooperation with the MFA and the e-Governance
Academy (EGA). EGA Director (and former MP) Ivar Tallo
told us on June 20 that he felt the main benefit of the
trip was to impart broader lessons of reform to the
Afghans, and to show what could be accomplished given the
right policy environment.


3. (U) While in Tallinn, the Afghans visited the Foreign
Ministry, the State Chancellery, and Parliament. They also
had several meetings and workshops with the EGA. The EGA
is a non-governmental, non-profit organization dedicated to
the creation and transfer of knowledge concerning e-
governance, e-democracy and the development of civil
society. It advises leaders and stakeholders in using
information and communication technology to increase
government efficiency and to improve democratic processes
with the aim of building open information societies. The
EGA, which conducts training worldwide, is a joint
initiative of the Government of Estonia, the Open Society
Institute, and the Regional Support Center of the United
Nations Development Program.


4. (U) EGA director Tallo said the Afghan visit was
initiated as a result of previous Estonian training in
Bulgaria. A Bulgarian involved in that training now serves
as an advisor to the Afghan government. Tallo stated that
while the technical aspects of e-governance are currently
too advanced for Afghanistan, his goal for the delegation
was to stress development, economic reforms, and
modernization and to recommend Estonia as a model of a
country that has gone through successful transition.
According to Tallo, it was not so important for the
visitors from Afghanistan to gather specific knowledge, but
rather that they understand that successful nation-building
is possible in the face of challenging circumstances.


5. (U) MFA Director of Development Cooperation Marje
Sotnik told us that sending one Estonian to a country to
provide long-term training may make more economic sense,
but that a country like Afghanistan also benefits when
members of its government see Estonia in person. Sotnik
and Tallo reported that while getting broad policy right
may have been the group's focus, the delegation also spent
time soaking up the simple but vital details of
institution-building, down to security access procedures
used at Parliament.


6. (U) In an effort to develop relationships, and to get a
better idea of how Estonia might best contribute to Afghan
development efforts, the MFA recently selected a diplomat
who will join the Estonian contingent with the UK-led PRT
in Helmand Province early this fall. According to Foreign
Minister Urmas Paet, "His work will be that of a political
adviser, making proposals on civilian projects in which
Estonia could participate. . ."


7. (SBU) Comment: Although the Estonian hosts suspected
that some of the Afghan delegation members had "bribed
their way aboard," the visit appears to have been
successful in providing the Afghans with a positive role
model and laying the groundwork for future Estonian-Afghan
cooperation. Tallo hit the nail on the head when he said
it wasn't so much the detail of what the Estonians had
imparted, but rather the juxtaposition of descriptions of
life in Estonia - down to the unheated buildings and
rationing -- only 15 years ago, and what a positive policy
environment had brought about in the intervening period,
that will likely have the greatest impact.

WOS