Enterprise Estonia opening of its foreign representative office in the United Arab Emirates
On Sunday, 10 February, the festive opening ceremony of the foreign representative office of Enterprise Estonia took place in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, which was also attended by Prime Minister Jüri Ratas, Minister of Entrepreneurship and Information Technology Rene Tammist, and Minister of the United Arab Emirates Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh.
“The goal of the foreign representative office is to strengthen economic relations with the United Arab Emirates and increase export opportunities for Estonian companies in the Persian Gulf region,” Head of Enterprise Estonia Alo Ivask said and added that a physical presence is crucial in that region.
Photo: Jürgen Randma
Jukka Hahlanterä, an export adviser, who previously worked in a similar position in the Republic of Finland and has long-term experience of the region, will start working at the office.
Hahlanterä estimates that Estonia has great potential for a breakthrough in the United Arab Emirates. “Estonia is known for its unique solutions, such as e-government. My goal is to be a bridge between the two countries and help Estonian companies,” Hahlanterä explained and encouraged entrepreneurs to think about the Persian Gulf region.
Jukka Hahlanterä is on the photo| Photo: Jürgen Randma
“The United Arab Emirates have a very dynamic market, a lot of things are happening here all the time, but in the case of a good and unique product or service, everyone has their own opportunities – from heavy industry to the food sector,” Hahlanterä added.
Ivask said that a person with previous experience provides Enterprise Estonia with a flying start. “We do not have to start from scratch with building a local network, we can help entrepreneurs immediately,” the Head of Enterprise Estonia said.
In addition, the Head of Enterprise Estonia signed a cooperation agreement with the Dubai Future Foundation on 10 February, which will create better opportunities for introducing Estonian companies and solutions to public and private sector organisations there.
Already on 17 February, Abu Dhabi will host the defence industry fair IDEX 2019 and Dubai will host the food and beverage sector fair Gulfood 2019. During both events, there will be a joint national stand arranged by Enterprise Estonia with Estonian companies that are interested in the region.
In cooperation with the Dubai office, the export advisers of Enterprise Estonia operate on 13 markets, and another office will also be opened in New York this year. In Asia, there are offices in Singapore, India, China, and Japan. The European offices are located in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, France, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
The Dubai office of Enterprise Estonia is located at: The H Dubai Office Tower (One Sheikh Zayed Road).
Photos (Jürgen Randma/Government Office): https://tinyurl.com/y4kwp664