NordenBladet —Today marked the end of the Estonian Defence Forces’ largest annual exercise, Spring Storm, which took place from May 6 to 17. Nearly 14,000 conscripts, reservists, active-duty personnel, members of the Estonian Defence League, and allied soldiers participated in the exercise. After the exercise, units will gather initial feedback from …
Source: Estonian Defence Forces
NordenBladet —
Both Speakers stated that the cooperation between Estonia and Czechia was excellent, we could rely on one another and we had very similar history and values. They acknowledged at the meeting that Europe was facing many challenges, especially relating to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
“Ukraine needs our support, both in the form of words and in the form of ammunition,” Hussar emphasised. The Estonian and Czech Speakers stressed the need to continue supporting Ukraine and to give Ukrainians what they need to win the war. They also found that it was necessary to support Ukraine on the road to joining the European Union and NATO. They also highlighted the importance of keeping unity in Europe.
The using of Russia’s frozen assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine was also discussed. “Russia must pay for the damage it has caused by aggression. If they do not do it themselves, we will have to force them to do it,” Hussar said, and added that on Wednesday, the Riigikogu had passed an Act on Russia’s frozen assets.
The situation in the Middle East, the EU’s enlargement policy in general, the elections of the European Parliament and cyber and energy security were also spoken about at the meeting. Both Speakers expressed satisfaction that as an excellent example of the economic cooperation between Estonia and Czechia, the new electric trains for Estonia had been ordered from the Czech Republic.
Chairman of the Estonia-Czech Republic Parliamentary Friendship Group Aivar Sõerd and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson also participated in the meeting, and Ambassador of Estonia to Czechia Gita Kalmet and Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Estonia David Král.
Tomorrow, the President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic will have a meeting with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and speak at the Lennart Meri Conference.
Photos (Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: Hussar at the meeting with his Czech counterpart: Russia must pay for the damage caused by aggression
Source: Parliament of Estonia
NordenBladet —May 17 marks the end of the international arms control visit in Estonia, which runs from May 12 to 17. During this period, 39 observers from 22 countries, representing the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), will visit military units and equipment, and observe the Spring Storm exercise. …
Source: Estonian Defence Forces
NordenBladet —Yesterday, during the Spring Storm exercise, a medical drill was held in Tali, Pärnu County, where the functioning of the medical chain in emergency conditions was practiced, drawing on lessons learned from the war in Ukraine. “Units of the Estonian Defence League defend areas near their homes, and these units …
Source: Estonian Defence Forces
NordenBladet —
“Despite repeated expressions of concern from friends and allies, the Georgian parliament has taken an alarming and repressive step that undermines democracy and contradicts its stated goal of Western integration,” the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees said in the Joint Statement. According to them, it is a parliament’s role to reflect the will of its people, and Georgians have unequivocally rejected this Kremlin-inspired law as incompatible with their identity, European values, and democratic principles. “Simply put, this so-called ‘foreign agent’ law mirrors the policies of Vladimir Putin, who continues to illegally occupy 20 percent of Georgia’s territory.”
The Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees pointed out that respected Georgian organizations such as Transparency International (TI Georgia), the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), and the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), were playing pivotal roles in Georgia’s path towards Euro-Atlantic integration. “This law flies in the face of such worthy efforts and serves as a direct assault on civil society and independent media – elements fundamental to any democracy. The United States and Europe will continue to support them as their leadership and vision for Georgia exemplify true patriotism, in stark contrast to the 84 members of Parliament who aligned themselves with Russia in yesterday’s vote,” they said.
The Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees underlined that they would never abandon the Georgian people who had bravely displayed their steadfast commitment to democratic values through peaceful resistance. “Nor will we hesitate to hold accountable those responsible for enacting this Russian-style law and for the brutal targeting of nonviolent demonstrators, including by Bidzina Ivanishvili and his cronies. To the Georgian people, we declare: You are not alone,” they added.
The Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees of the parliaments of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as the European Parliament have joined the Joint Statement. Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Marko Mihkelson signed the statement on behalf of Estonia.
Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees: Passage of ‘foreign agent’ law in Georgia undermines democracy
Source: Parliament of Estonia
NordenBladet —
Mihkelson and Edelstein discussed issues related to both the Middle East region and Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. They consider the impact of these conflicts to be global and think that their resolution requires broader international cooperation.
Mihkelson also spoke of the Statement unanimously adopted by the Riigikogu that condemned Hamas terrorist attacks and the war started by Hamas against Israel.
In this Statement, the Riigikogu expressed its condolences to the State of Israel, its people, and the families of the victims of the terrorist attack, and acknowledged the efforts made to free the hostages, as a result of which it had been possible to release part of the hostages. The Parliament also affirmed that the State of Israel had the right and the duty to defend itself until the end of the Hamas terrorist attacks, the release of all hostages and the capture of the planners and perpetrators of the 7 October massacre, so that terror against Israel and its people would not happen again.
Edelstein thanked for the invitation to visit Estonia and attend the Lennart Meri Conference.
Besides visiting the Riigikogu, Edelstein will have meetings with Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna and Minister of Defence Hanno Pevkur during his stay in Tallinn.
Photos Erik Peinar / Chancellery of the Riigikogu)
Riigikogu Press Service
Gunnar Paal
+372 631 6351, +372 5190 2837
gunnar.paal@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: Mihkelson: resolution of conflicts requires close international cooperation
Source: Parliament of Estonia
NordenBladet —Today, May 15, an urban battle exercise took place in Pärnu, where reservists and members of the Estonian Defence League participating in Spring Storm practiced defending the harbour area together with the allies. The Spring Storm exercise integrates various hybrid threats to create challenges as close to real-life scenarios as …
Source: Estonian Defence Forces
NordenBladet —As part of Exercise Spring Storm, the Defence Forces and the Rescue Board will practice using warning sirens in the city of Pärnu tomorrow. The sirens will sound at 11 AM on May 16 at three locations in Pärnu: near the Tammiste Levira’s mast, the Tele2 mast area on Ehitajate …
Source: Estonian Defence Forces
NordenBladet —
65 members of the Riigikogu voted in favour of passing the Act and 3 were against it.
Chairman of the Constitutional Committee of the Riigikogu Hendrik Johannes Terras said that the creation of a legal regulation for using the frozen assets was a complicated challenge that several allied countries and international organisations were working on, and Estonia had a pioneering role to here. “Russia is an aggressor state, and the burden of compensating the war damage caused by it cannot be left to Ukraine and its allies. Russia is responsible for causing the damages and must bear that responsibility,” he pointed out.
According to Terras, the assets that have already been frozen under international sanctions and which in any case cannot be used or disposed of by their owners can be used to compensate for the damage caused by the war of aggression in Ukraine. “With the Act that was passed today, Estonia is proposing a mechanism that provides for the liability of the people and companies directly involved in or contributing to the aggression,” he said, adding that the Constitutional Committee had been discussing the creation of such a regulation in great detail with various parties, including foreign experts, for more than six months.
The Act on Amendments to the International Sanctions Act and Amendments to Other Associated Acts (332 SE), initiated by the Government, will create a national mechanism to ensure the financial liability of an aggressor state for the damage caused by the most serious violations of international law. The amendment will enable the use of assets of individuals and companies that have contributed to Russia’s wrongful acts, which have been frozen under sanctions, as an advance payment for damages owed by Russia to Ukraine.
Before the second reading, the Constitutional Committee had incorporated into the Act an amendment according to which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will decide on the use of the assets as an advance payment for compensation for damage in the course of administrative procedure. According to the initial wording, it would have been necessary to apply for authorisation from administrative court to use the assets.
According to the Act, a decision on the use of assets as an advance payment for compensation for damage can be made where damage has been caused by a wrongful act and the damage has been proved and must be compensated for under international law, and the foreign state that has sustained damage has submitted a relevant claim to the foreign state that has caused the damage, and the state that has caused the damage has not met the claim within a reasonable period of time. In order to launch proceedings on the use of assets in Estonia, a relevant request will have to be submitted to Estonia and the conditions for the use of the assets as an advance payment for compensation for damage and for assigning the right of claim to the owner of the assets will have to be agreed upon with the state that has submitted the request. In addition, the link between the owner of the assets and the wrongful act must be sufficiently proven.
The amendment provides that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have to determine all the facts and ownership relations relating to the assets and make sure that there are no exceptional circumstances that would make the individual’s interests outweigh the need to apply the measure. According to the Act, the owner of the assets will have the right to contest the decision on the use of the assets in administrative court.
The amendment to the Act also clarifies the competences of state agencies in the implementation of international sanctions and gives them clearer legal bases for the implementation of sanctions and for supervision.
Riigikogu Press Service
Karin Kangro
+372 631 6356, +372 520 0323
karin.kangro@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: The Riigikogu passed the Act enabling the use of Russia’s frozen assets
Source: Parliament of Estonia
NordenBladet —
On Thursday, Adamová will meet with President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Lauri Hussar. Chairman of the Estonia-Czech Republic Parliamentary Friendship Group Aivar Sõerd and Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson will also participate in the meeting. Before the meeting, Adamová will sign the Riigikogu guest book and pose for an official photo with the President of the Riigikogu.
Within the framework of the Lennart Meri Conference on Thursday, the President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic will have a meeting with President of Estonia Alar Karis. On Friday, she will meet with Prime Minister Kaja Kallas at Stenbock House. She will also speak at the Lennart Meri Conference on Friday.
Adamová will be accompanied on the visit by Chairperson of the Committee on European Affairs of the Chamber of Deputies Ondřej Benešík.
On Thursday at 12.30, Markéta Pekarová Adamová will have a meeting with President of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar at the Riigikogu. Journalists can record the arrival in the White Hall of the Riigikogu, the official photo and the signing of the guest book. We kindly ask the members of the press to be at the entrance hall of the Riigikogu (Lossi plats 1a) at 12.10. Contact: Merilin Kruuse, +372 510 6179, merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
On Friday at 10.45 a.m. Markéta Pekarová Adamová will have a meeting with Prime Minister of Estonia Kaja Kallas. The media will have the possibility to record the arrival in the courtyard of Stenbock House, introducing of the delegations, official photo, signing the guest book and the first moments of the meeting. Journalists are asked to be at the entrance hall of Stenbock House (Rahukohtu 3) at 10.25 a.m. at the latest. Contact: Jevgenia Värä, Media Adviser to the Government, phone +372 525 4377, press@riik.ee
Riigikogu Press Service
Merilin Kruuse
+372 631 6592; +372 510 6179
merilin.kruuse@riigikogu.ee
Questions: press@riigikogu.ee
Link uudisele: President of the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Republic Parliament visits Estonia
Source: Parliament of Estonia