New Delhi: Estonia’s justice and digital affairs minister has said the Baltic state welcomes skilled talent from India after the United States suspended a key route to permanent residency for several major IT firms.“All talent is welcome,” Liisa-Ly Pakosta told WION's Sidhant Sibal in Delhi, responding to Washington’s decision to bar companies including Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and HCL from the Permanent Labor Certification programme. The move, announced on Thursday, prevents those employers from filing new applications or processing pending ones that allow foreign staff to seek green cards.Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/starlink-row-india-rejects-musk-s-monopoly-accusation-reveals-amazon-also-in-satellite-internet-race-1791533852541">Starlink row: India rejects Musk’s ‘monopoly’ accusation, reveals Amazon also in satellite internet race</a>Estonia, with a population of about 1.3 million, already hosts more than 2,000 people from India, most of them in information technology, along with more than 200 Indian students, she said. “We see huge possibilities for growth,” Pakosta added, pointing to demand for scalable digital products.Pakosta pointed Estonia as a highly digitised country. Government services are almost entirely online, data systems are designed to work together, and the private sector builds much of the infrastructure, she said.The country’s X-Road interoperability platform has been adopted elsewhere, including in Ukraine, where she said it continued to function securely for a population of about 40 million “even under the full-scale war situation.”She argued that Estonia’s small size and India’s research capacity could complement each other, particularly in artificial intelligence. “The solutions from Estonia are well scalable here, but at the same time we have so much to learn from your side, because you invest a lot to research and development on the huge scale,” she said. Partnerships would still require risk assessments, she noted.On cybersecurity, Pakosta said the threat environment had shifted with the rise of AI-driven attacks and that Estonia already had a cooperation agreement with India. She called for joint work on defences that operate “literally online and without any delay.” Data protection, she added, becomes more important in the AI era because “all the mistakes could be exponential.”Also read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/deeply-offensive-india-hits-back-at-us-vice-president-jd-vance-for-indentured-labour-remark-1791529828211">'Deeply offensive': India hits back at US Vice-President JD Vance for 'indentured labour' remark</a>Asked about deepfakes and online misinformation, she highlighted Estonia’s early media-literacy education and praised India’s requirement that platforms remove false information quickly, saying she would like to see that approach become an international standard.On regulating large technology platforms, Pakosta defended free expression while warning that foreign actors were altering historical narratives inside large language models and interfering in elections. “International regulation is very, very much needed,” she said, including guardrails against propaganda intended “to take the other nation down.”She compared AI to nuclear power, with beneficial and harmful uses, and said like-minded countries should set rules that expand access,through open-source tools, for example, while limiting systems capable of “tremendous harm.”

The US has restricted a key green card route for major Indian IT firms, but Estonia is sending a different message to skilled professionals. Its digital affairs minister tells WION why the Baltic nation sees growing opportunities for Indian talent, from AI to cybersecurity.

New Delhi: Estonia’s justice and digital affairs minister has said the Baltic state welcomes skilled talent from India after the United States suspended a key route to permanent residency for several major IT firms. “All talent is welcome,” Liisa-Ly Pakosta told WION's Sidhant Sibal in Delhi, responding to Washington’s decision to bar companies including Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services, Wipro and HCL from the Permanent Labor Certification programme. The move, announced on Thursday, prevents those employers from filing new applications or processing pending ones that allow foreign staff to seek green cards. Also read | Starlink row: India rejects Musk’s ‘monopoly’ accusation, reveals Amazon also in satellite internet race Estonia, with a population of about 1.3 million, already hosts more than 2,000 people from India, most of them in information technology, along with more than 200 Indian students, she said. “We see huge possibilities for growth,” Pakosta added, pointing to demand for scalable digital products. Pakosta pointed Estonia as a highly digitised country. Government services are almost entirely online, data systems are designed to work together, and the private sector builds much of the infrastructure, she said. The country’s X-Road interoperability platform has been adopted elsewhere, including in Ukraine, where she said it continued to function securely for a population of about 40 million “even under the full-scale war situation.” She argued that Estonia’s small size and India’s research capacity could complement each other, particularly in artificial intelligence. “The solutions from Estonia are well scalable here, but at the same time we have so much to learn from your side, because you invest a lot to research and development on the huge scale,” she said. Partnerships would still require risk assessments, she noted. On cybersecurity, Pakosta said the threat environment had shifted with the rise of AI-driven attacks and that Estonia already had a cooperation agreement with India. She called for joint work on defences that operate “literally online and without any delay.” Data protection, she added, becomes more important in the AI era because “all the mistakes could be exponential.” Also read | 'Deeply offensive': India hits back at US Vice-President JD Vance for 'indentured labour' remark Asked about deepfakes and online misinformation, she highlighted Estonia’s early media-literacy education and praised India’s requirement that platforms remove false information quickly, saying she would like to see that approach become an international standard. On regulating large technology platforms, Pakosta defended free expression while warning that foreign actors were altering historical narratives inside large language models and interfering in elections. “International regulation is very, very much needed,” she said, including guardrails against propaganda intended “to take the other nation down.” She compared AI to nuclear power, with beneficial and harmful uses, and said like-minded countries should set rules that expand access,through open-source tools, for example, while limiting systems capable of “tremendous harm.”

The US has restricted a key green card route for major Indian IT firms, but Estonia is sending a different message to skilled professionals. Its digital affairs minister tells WION why the Baltic nation sees growing opportunities for Indian talent, from AI to cybersecurity.

Estonian minister ‘welcomes’ Indian tech talent as Washington suspends residency programme; lauds Indian action on fake news

In what is a significant development, Estonia's Defence minister Hanno Pevkur has said Indian companies are keen to invest in his country to produce ammunition. The development comes even as India markets itself as a major manufacturer of defence equipment.

Speaking to WION's Sidhant Sibal, minister Pevkur said, "It's not only ammunition. It's also the Armed Vehicles production, Howitzer production. So, the cooperation is very intense. So, I really do hope that I can find the time also to come to India".

The minister also spoke about the war in Ukraine and NATO's defence budget expansion. Estonia has been one of the few NATO countries consistently meeting or exceeding the two per cent GDP defense spending target, and in 2024, it's estimated to spend 3.4 per cent&nbsp;of GDP on defense, placing it among the top spenders in NATO relative to its economy.

Read the full interview here:

WION: How do you see India- Estonia's defence partnership?

Hanno Pevkur: I see that, in last year, specifically, we have had very good cooperation, and I see that there is a huge opportunity to increase that cooperation. And I know that, yes, there is a very successful cooperation already today. But what is more important that we are establishing here in Estonia, the new defense industry Park, and there are a couple of big Indian companies who are interested to come to invest in Estonia to start production of, for instance, the 155-millimeter ammunition. So I'm not allowed to say yet who are the companies, but when you have the understanding that who is producing in India, 155 millimeter of ammunition, then you probably can also have the understanding it who are interested to invest into Estonia. So, but it's not only ammunition. It's also the Armed Vehicles production, Howitzer production. So the cooperation is very intense. So I really do hope that I can find the time also to come to India and visit some companies and to send a very clear message, Estonia is a safe environment for to invest. Estonia is a safe environment also to have defense cooperation.

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WION: So moving to the situation in Europe, there is a war in Ukraine. You share borders with Russia, so how do you see the current situation. Do you see&nbsp;peace in 2025, when&nbsp;Trump comes to power in Washington and the situation in Europe?

Hanno Pevkur: Well, of course, we all hope that the war in Ukraine will be over. We it's clear, and we all also understand that it's an extremely heavy burden for Ukrainian people, because they are losing the people they have to fight for their own freedom. And Russia is violating all the international norms you can find. So they are killing civilian people. They are attacking the civilian infrastructure. So this is what we see. Unfortunately, Russia is not ready to stop this war because if President Trump is saying that he wants to end this war in 24 hours, then there is one person who can do that in 24 minutes or 24 seconds. So this is Vladimir Putin sending the order to the army that we will finish this war immediately and go out from Ukraine. So from our perspective, what is important, important is that we will have fair peace. So, and this fair piece means that Russia has to take the responsibility. Of course, we will never respect that Russia has occupied some territories of Ukraine.

WION: Do you see India's role in terms of providing peace?

Hanno Pevkur: Well, there are many leaders of the country, different countries, who are in this process. So the important thing is that Russia needs to understand that it's not the end goal for them to take somebody's territory by force. And the international law is very clear. And I believe that also, Russia has to look very closely into the mirror, that you cannot take one moment from the history and say that this is the right moment, because when we look into the history, Russia has been very small or Moscovia, so Moscow, which was close to Moscow, so this was the Russian state. We know that in Russian history, you have had different times. So you cannot take one part and say that this is the only part, because 1991 was the time when the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukrainian state was formed, and this should be also important for Russia to respect and accept. So let's see.

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WION: We also have seen comments by the NATO chief saying that we need to have a war mindset. Also, there have been calls for the NATO countries to increase their budget for the NATO grouping. What's your view on that? I believe Estonia is paying much more than its geographical size.

Hanno Pevkur: Yes, we are doing more than it is agreed in NATO, but we don't see also any other option. Russia has been and will be our neighbour, and we don't see that they will be less hostile. Unfortunately, there was hope in 90s that Russia will be a democratic country. And of course, that means that the alliance, the strongest military alliance called NATO, has been successful for the last 75 years, and we truly believe that together with our allies, we can deter Russia. So this is why we are investing more and more. This is why also we encourage our friends in other states to invest more, because we see that it is important to deter Russia.

In what is a significant development, Estonia's Defence minister Hanno Pevkur has said Indian companies are keen to invest in his country to produce ammunition. The development comes even as India markets itself as a major manufacturer of defence equipment.

In what is a significant development, Estonia's Defence minister Hanno Pevkur has said Indian companies are keen to invest in his country to produce ammunition. The development comes even as India markets itself as a major manufacturer of defence equipment. Speaking to WION's Sidhant Sibal, minister Pevkur said, "It's not only ammunition. It's also the Armed Vehicles production, Howitzer production. So, the cooperation is very intense. So, I really do hope that I can find the time also to come to India". The minister also spoke about the war in Ukraine and NATO's defence budget expansion. Estonia has been one of the few NATO countries consistently meeting or exceeding the two per cent GDP defense spending target, and in 2024, it's estimated to spend 3.4 per cent of GDP on defense, placing it among the top spenders in NATO relative to its economy. Read the full interview here: WION: How do you see India- Estonia's defence partnership? Hanno Pevkur: I see that, in last year, specifically, we have had very good cooperation, and I see that there is a huge opportunity to increase that cooperation. And I know that, yes, there is a very successful cooperation already today. But what is more important that we are establishing here in Estonia, the new defense industry Park, and there are a couple of big Indian companies who are interested to come to invest in Estonia to start production of, for instance, the 155-millimeter ammunition. So I'm not allowed to say yet who are the companies, but when you have the understanding that who is producing in India, 155 millimeter of ammunition, then you probably can also have the understanding it who are interested to invest into Estonia. So, but it's not only ammunition. It's also the Armed Vehicles production, Howitzer production. So the cooperation is very intense. So I really do hope that I can find the time also to come to India and visit some companies and to send a very clear message, Estonia is a safe environment for to invest. Estonia is a safe environment also to have defense cooperation. Also read | Trump slams Biden government over mystery drone sightings, says 'shoot them down' WION: So moving to the situation in Europe, there is a war in Ukraine. You share borders with Russia, so how do you see the current situation. Do you see peace in 2025, when Trump comes to power in Washington and the situation in Europe? Hanno Pevkur: Well, of course, we all hope that the war in Ukraine will be over. We it's clear, and we all also understand that it's an extremely heavy burden for Ukrainian people, because they are losing the people they have to fight for their own freedom. And Russia is violating all the international norms you can find. So they are killing civilian people. They are attacking the civilian infrastructure. So this is what we see. Unfortunately, Russia is not ready to stop this war because if President Trump is saying that he wants to end this war in 24 hours, then there is one person who can do that in 24 minutes or 24 seconds. So this is Vladimir Putin sending the order to the army that we will finish this war immediately and go out from Ukraine. So from our perspective, what is important, important is that we will have fair peace. So, and this fair piece means that Russia has to take the responsibility. Of course, we will never respect that Russia has occupied some territories of Ukraine. WION: Do you see India's role in terms of providing peace? Hanno Pevkur: Well, there are many leaders of the country, different countries, who are in this process. So the important thing is that Russia needs to understand that it's not the end goal for them to take somebody's territory by force. And the international law is very clear. And I believe that also, Russia has to look very closely into the mirror, that you cannot take one moment from the history and say that this is the right moment, because when we look into the history, Russia has been very small or Moscovia, so Moscow, which was close to Moscow, so this was the Russian state. We know that in Russian history, you have had different times. So you cannot take one part and say that this is the only part, because 1991 was the time when the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukrainian state was formed, and this should be also important for Russia to respect and accept. So let's see. Also read | TikTok ban in America: US Federal Court rejects appeal to temporarily block ban WION: We also have seen comments by the NATO chief saying that we need to have a war mindset. Also, there have been calls for the NATO countries to increase their budget for the NATO grouping. What's your view on that? I believe Estonia is paying much more than its geographical size. Hanno Pevkur: Yes, we are doing more than it is agreed in NATO, but we don't see also any other option. Russia has been and will be our neighbour, and we don't see that they will be less hostile. Unfortunately, there was hope in 90s that Russia will be a democratic country. And of course, that means that the alliance, the strongest military alliance called NATO, has been successful for the last 75 years, and we truly believe that together with our allies, we can deter Russia. So this is why we are investing more and more. This is why also we encourage our friends in other states to invest more, because we see that it is important to deter Russia.

Indian companies keen to produce ammunitions in Estonia: Defence minister Hanno Pevkur

The new president of the United Nations Security Council Estonia has called for more transparency and information on COVID crisis even as the country has sought cooperation among members of the core UN body. Speaking exclusively to WION's diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal Estonia's envoy to India Katrin Kivi this kind of threats can't stop on the state border. Estonia had presented COVID draft in March but due to lack of consensus among permanent UNSC members, it was not adopted. The country has also invited India to join in open meetings during their presidency. On Kashmir, she said, UNSC should be seized of other mater and no one should bring the bilateral issue on the table of the body.

WION: Key focus areas for Estonia as the President of UNSC?

Ambassador Katrin Kivi: Thank you for inviting me, it a pleasure to share some insights about the Estonian Presidency at UNSC. We have a number of priorities, starting with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Estonia will push to address the issue because the ongoing pandemic can have a huge impact on global peace and security and many humanitarian issues.&nbsp;

We will also look at many cybersecurity-related issues because in recent times, cybercrime, cybersecurity incidents have significantly grown and we must contribute to making our society more resilient to that.

Furthermore, we will also address the issue of climate change and security because there as well a clear security link. Changes going on a global level, and they may one day have a very dramatic impact to our security.&nbsp;

Of course, there are many global conflicts and wars, like the conflict in Syria, conflict in Ukraine. Estonia pays attention, also, rule of law--both offline and online should be applicable.&nbsp;

As you all know we have to work now remotely, the same goes for UNSC, that remains working from home offices, at least for the month of May and the role of presidency remains that these meetings remain substantial, transparent and natural one, that looks like the normal meetings.

 
WION: UNSC has been found missing on COVID crisis..how hopeful you are that your presidency will see an action?Ambassador&nbsp;

Ambassador Katrin Kivi: Yes, Estonia was pushing since the month of March to put the COVID crisis on the Agenda of the UNSC. It took for a while because we could not get consensus immediately among some permanent members of the council but of 9th April, the issue was on the agenda and was discussed and we could make some press conclusions from that.&nbsp;

Of course, we will continue to address the issue because we need more information. We have to be transparent and continue cooperation because only this way we could solve the issue.&nbsp;

WION: More information, you talked about, the world has been asking for transparency on the COVID-19 crisis?

Ambassador Katrin Kivi: I think it is time for multilateral efforts also in the framework of WHO. It is not yet time to concentrate on who is guilty or who was not able to do this or that.&nbsp;

We need to cooperate because this kind of threat can't stop on the state border and we need, also all security council members on board while discussing and addressing the issue.&nbsp;

Once we have some solution, then it is time to make to take lessons learnt, conclusions on how to better react in the future. Only in that way we can assure an adequate and kind of reaction that makes a difference.

WION: Your FM spoke to EAM earlier this week, what was the focus of the talks?

Ambassador Katrin Kivi: My FM called his counterpart EAM Jaishankar on Monday, and they mainly had two&nbsp;issues to discuss, one was the upcoming chairmanship or presidency of Estonia at the security council and my FM invited EAM to take part in some of the council meetings in May.&nbsp;

Some of them are open to all member states, some of them are informal. For example on cyber stability, conflict prevention, and starting from May 8 we will mark 75th year of the end of World War-II.

This is also an occasion to address the security situation, security architecture in Europe or globally in order to avoid a similar kind of atrocities like we have been witnessing during the second world war.&nbsp;

The second was the digitalization. DIgital cooperation and our two countries are very advance and it is most natural that Estonia and India cooperate on cybersecurity, on e-governance and also we have MoUs with Indian computing emergency response team and Estonian information authorities.&nbsp;

Our respective companies and state actors are working together because of digitalisation offerers many answers to the current crisis, how to better and safely work from home.&nbsp;

It is time for working from home or home office, &nbsp;and security setting there maybe not best updated to the current challenges as to working normally from home. Estonian cybersecurity companies have made many mobile applications and digital platforms accessible free of charge as our contribution to the current crisis.

WION: Technology is something Estonia is master of, how much will that be the focus of your presidency?

Ambassador Katrin Kivi: In the UNSC and at the UN, there is a group of friends of cybersecurity and e-governance and Estonia and Singapore are co-chairs of these groups and we will raise the issue of how also other states could give the best digital solution available on the same platform to the rest of the world.&nbsp;

We will for sure address the issue in the month of May and we are very happy about the cooperation with India, especially since you are joining the UNSC as of next year and we will be working together--not only this year in May but we will continue our cooperation.

WION: Kashmir is something one country in the region is keen to talk about...under your presidency, will it be raked?

Ambassador Katrin Kivi: Our view about addressing the issue at the UNSC has not changed. We think it is a bilateral issue that should be resolved through direct contact and dialogue.&nbsp;

We would encourage both parties to further work on it. But UNSC should really be seized for a very, very serious global conflict like chemical weapons use in Syria or similar magnitude.

We encourage further India and Pakistan if necessary take direct contact and resolve it bilaterally and not raise the issue at UNSC.

The new president of the United Nations Security Council Estonia has called for more transparency and information on COVID crisis even as the country has sought cooperation among members of the core UN body.

The new president of the United Nations Security Council Estonia has called for more transparency and information on COVID crisis even as the country has sought cooperation among members of the core UN body. Speaking exclusively to WION's diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal Estonia's envoy to India Katrin Kivi this kind of threats can't stop on the state border. Estonia had presented COVID draft in March but due to lack of consensus among permanent UNSC members, it was not adopted. The country has also invited India to join in open meetings during their presidency. On Kashmir, she said, UNSC should be seized of other mater and no one should bring the bilateral issue on the table of the body. WION: Key focus areas for Estonia as the President of UNSC? Ambassador Katrin Kivi: Thank you for inviting me, it a pleasure to share some insights about the Estonian Presidency at UNSC. We have a number of priorities, starting with the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Estonia will push to address the issue because the ongoing pandemic can have a huge impact on global peace and security and many humanitarian issues. We will also look at many cybersecurity-related issues because in recent times, cybercrime, cybersecurity incidents have significantly grown and we must contribute to making our society more resilient to that. Furthermore, we will also address the issue of climate change and security because there as well a clear security link. Changes going on a global level, and they may one day have a very dramatic impact to our security. Of course, there are many global conflicts and wars, like the conflict in Syria, conflict in Ukraine. Estonia pays attention, also, rule of law--both offline and online should be applicable. As you all know we have to work now remotely, the same goes for UNSC, that remains working from home offices, at least for the month of May and the role of presidency remains that these meetings remain substantial, transparent and natural one, that looks like the normal meetings. WION: UNSC has been found missing on COVID crisis..how hopeful you are that your presidency will see an action?Ambassador Ambassador Katrin Kivi: Yes, Estonia was pushing since the month of March to put the COVID crisis on the Agenda of the UNSC. It took for a while because we could not get consensus immediately among some permanent members of the council but of 9th April, the issue was on the agenda and was discussed and we could make some press conclusions from that. Of course, we will continue to address the issue because we need more information. We have to be transparent and continue cooperation because only this way we could solve the issue. WION: More information, you talked about, the world has been asking for transparency on the COVID-19 crisis? Ambassador Katrin Kivi: I think it is time for multilateral efforts also in the framework of WHO. It is not yet time to concentrate on who is guilty or who was not able to do this or that. We need to cooperate because this kind of threat can't stop on the state border and we need, also all security council members on board while discussing and addressing the issue. Once we have some solution, then it is time to make to take lessons learnt, conclusions on how to better react in the future. Only in that way we can assure an adequate and kind of reaction that makes a difference. WION: Your FM spoke to EAM earlier this week, what was the focus of the talks? Ambassador Katrin Kivi: My FM called his counterpart EAM Jaishankar on Monday, and they mainly had two issues to discuss, one was the upcoming chairmanship or presidency of Estonia at the security council and my FM invited EAM to take part in some of the council meetings in May. Some of them are open to all member states, some of them are informal. For example on cyber stability, conflict prevention, and starting from May 8 we will mark 75th year of the end of World War-II. This is also an occasion to address the security situation, security architecture in Europe or globally in order to avoid a similar kind of atrocities like we have been witnessing during the second world war. The second was the digitalization. DIgital cooperation and our two countries are very advance and it is most natural that Estonia and India cooperate on cybersecurity, on e-governance and also we have MoUs with Indian computing emergency response team and Estonian information authorities. Our respective companies and state actors are working together because of digitalisation offerers many answers to the current crisis, how to better and safely work from home. It is time for working from home or home office, and security setting there maybe not best updated to the current challenges as to working normally from home. Estonian cybersecurity companies have made many mobile applications and digital platforms accessible free of charge as our contribution to the current crisis. WION: Technology is something Estonia is master of, how much will that be the focus of your presidency? Ambassador Katrin Kivi: In the UNSC and at the UN, there is a group of friends of cybersecurity and e-governance and Estonia and Singapore are co-chairs of these groups and we will raise the issue of how also other states could give the best digital solution available on the same platform to the rest of the world. We will for sure address the issue in the month of May and we are very happy about the cooperation with India, especially since you are joining the UNSC as of next year and we will be working together--not only this year in May but we will continue our cooperation. WION: Kashmir is something one country in the region is keen to talk about...under your presidency, will it be raked? Ambassador Katrin Kivi: Our view about addressing the issue at the UNSC has not changed. We think it is a bilateral issue that should be resolved through direct contact and dialogue. We would encourage both parties to further work on it. But UNSC should really be seized for a very, very serious global conflict like chemical weapons use in Syria or similar magnitude. We encourage further India and Pakistan if necessary take direct contact and resolve it bilaterally and not raise the issue at UNSC.

New UNSC President Estonia calls  for transparency on COVID-19 crisis

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Estonian minister ‘welcomes’ Indian tech talent as Washington suspends residency programme; lauds Indian action on fake news

Indian companies keen to produce ammunitions in Estonia: Defence minister Hanno Pevkur

New UNSC President Estonia calls for transparency on COVID-19 crisis