INTERVIEW/Visiting Estonian lawmaker proposes closer drone cooperation with Taiwan

Taipei, Feb. 5 (CNA) A visiting Estonian lawmaker on Wednesday proposed closer cooperation between the Baltic state and Taiwan in defense technology, in particularly drones, to counter the threat posed by authoritarian regimes like China and Russia as he led a delegation made up of defense company representatives to the country.

Leading a delegation comprised of several Estonian defense companies, Kristo Enn Vaga, chairman of the Estonia-Taiwan Support Group of the Parliament of Estonia, is joined by fellow parliamentarian Kalle Laanet, a former Estonian defense minister, on a five-day trip in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday.

Interviewed by CNA on Wednesday, Vaga, who is making his second visit to Taiwan since March 2024, said the current trip is intended to promote closer cooperation between two democracies in the field of defense and especially the drone industry.

Other members of the group include representatives from four Estonian companies, three of which focus on Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and another that builds field hospitals, the lawmaker said.

Vaga said the UAS produced by the companies are all "combat-ready, combat-tested and combat-proven" in Ukraine amid the full scale Russian invasion.

"The Ukrainian army is very satisfied with them and they are now also trying to see on a global sphere," he added.

After touching down on Tuesday, he and his delegation also visited the Asia UAV AI Innovation Application R&D Center in Chiayi County, where a large UAS testing ground is located.

"We are very envious that you have this big center for drone testing. We are thinking about doing something similar in Estonia," he said.

"You have to have this trust. You can't just buy the cheapest product on the market," Vaga said. "We trust Taiwan and I really hope that Taiwan does trust Estonian companies also for these joint ventures."

If Taiwan chooses to work with Estonia, a member of the European Union (EU), it will also open the door for Taiwanese investments to the massive EU market, a relatively unfamiliar territory for Taiwan, he noted.

Joint cooperation in drones could also help Taiwan deal with the undersea cable damage incidents that have occurred over the past few years, a phenomenon also detected in Estonia, Vaga said.

In January, Taiwan suspected a Chinese-owned cargo vessel damaged an undersea cable near its northeastern coast in an act of sabotage.

Taiwan also reported undersea cable damage in February 2023 when two cables between Taiwan and the offshore Matsu Islands near China were severed, and the internet connection in the offshore county was cut for more than 50 days.

China has since denied involvement in these incidents which highlight the vulnerability of Taiwan's offshore communications infrastructure.

Similar incidents have also been reported in Estonia.

NATO has said it will enhance its military presence in the Baltic Sea, with Estonia sending a patrol ship to protect its Estlink1 undersea power cable, after Russia was accused of sabotaging its main power link in the Gulf of Finland in December 2024. The Kremlin has denied such accusations.

Commenting on the issue, Vaga told CNA Wednesday that his country is certain that at least some of these undersea cable incidents near Estonia and around Europe were acts of sabotage by Russia, though it could take more time and evidence to determine legal responsibility.

He said democracies like Estonia and Taiwan need to be very decisive in countering such acts of sabotage.

This is also where both sides can join forces including by using underwater drones as countermeasure or building underwater sensor networks as a defense.

Meanwhile, the Estonian lawmaker also said talks between Taipei and Tallinn on opening reciprocal representative offices are still ongoing and he hopes practical progress will be made this year.

Estonian Public Broadcasting's English-language news site reported in November 2023 that the Estonian government agreed to open the office using the name "Taipei."

At that time, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said talks related to Taiwan opening a representative office in Estonia were still under way and that a consensus had not yet been reached.