The foreign minister has been on two foreign visits – one to India and his ongoing visit to Japan. Representatives of two companies accompanied him on each trip.

Defense contractor Eesti Arsenal and medical equipment seller Semetron accompanied Tsahkna to India, while the foreign minister is in Japan with defense industry player Marduk Technologies and self-driving bus developer Auve Tech. The latter was represented by former Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas who was removed from his flight to Japan at Helsinki Airport after getting into an altercation with the flight crew.

Priit Kallakas, director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' business diplomacy department, said that there has only been modest interest because the visits and their agenda were decided in the last minute. "Companies simply have other events planned by the time, and that's pretty much it," Kallakas said.

He said that traveling with business delegations was Tsahkna's initiative, which his prededessor Urmas Reinsalu did not do.

Interest is also tied to which countries are being visited. For example, President Alar Karis' visit to Botswana attracted software developer Nortal, fintech traders Admirals Group and advisers Digital Nation, with the latter two also accompanying the president to Angola.

But interest has also been much higher at some of the president's other visits. Mariann Sudakov from the Office of the President said that Karis visited Ukraine last June with a business delegation consisting of 24 members, while representatives of nine firms went with the president to Sweden in April.

Visits by Minister of Economic Affairs and IT Tiit Riisalo are also popular among entrepreneurs. Representatives of seven companies went with Riisalo to India at the start of the year, while around 20 mostly IT sector professionals traveled with him to Saudi Arabia in March.

Kallakas also said that around 30 defense industry representatives are accompanying Minister of Defense Hanno Pevkur's visit to Sweden.

The ministry sometimes often entrepreneurs the chance to accompany ministers, while the latter need to arrange and pay for their own accommodation and travel.

Once there, company representatives can often follow the minister around and there is usually a reception at the local Estonian embassy where companies can invite potential partners.

Business meetings with companies in the target country are organized through business diplomats or the Estonian Enterprise and Innovation Foundation (EISA).

Kallakas said that companies are interested in accompanying ministers on foreign visits mostly because it can open doors that might otherwise remain shut.

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