Tonight the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) held an extraordinary sitting to discuss Estonia’s activities relating to the situation in Afghanistan. The Committee emphasised by consensus that the Government should enable granting asylum to Estonia’s Afghan cooperation partners as soon as possible.
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson underlined that in the current situation, each hour of delay in action was lost time. “Estonia’s moral and political obligation is to promptly support our Afghan cooperation partners who have turned to us with an application for asylum or will do that in the nearest future. The most important is to grant international protection to those who really need it at the moment,” Mihkelson added.
“The Government has to speed up making decisions in resolution of humanitarian issues,” Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Mihhail Lotman Committee emphasised. “Certainly the programmes connected with Estonia in Afghanistan have to be reviewed as a matter of urgency, keeping in mind first of all the security of persons,” he added.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Eva-Maria Liimets and Chair of the Board and coordinator of the activities in Afghanistan of NGO Mondo and coordinator of its activities in Afghanistan Riina Kuusik-Rajasaar gave the Foreign Affairs Committee an overview of the situation in Afghanistan and Estonia’s activities at the international level.
The Foreign Affairs Committee will continue the discussion of this topic in the nearest future.
On 20 August, the celebrations of the 30th anniversary of the restoration of Estonia’s independence at Toompea will begin with the flag raising ceremony and end with a festive concert “The Spirit and the Power of Woman” in the Governor’s Garden. The Speakers of the Parliaments of Latvia, Lithuania, Iceland and Poland and the President of the European Parliament will also participate in the events dedicated to the anniversary.
On 20 August 1991 at 11.03 p.m., the Supreme Council of the Republic of Estonia adopted the Resolution on the National Independence of Estonia, with 69 votes in favour. The state that had been proclaimed on 24 February 1918 was restored. This year we celebrate the 30th anniversary of this historical event.
At 7 a.m., the flag raising ceremony will be held in the Governor’s Garden.
The event can be followed on ETV, ETV+ and Vikerraadio.
President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas, Prime Minister Kaja Kallas, President of the August 20th Club Ants Veetõusme and Speaker of the Althing (Parliament of Iceland) Steingrímur J. Sigfússon will speak at the ceremony. Archbishop of the Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church Urmas Viilma will say the words of blessing.
The flag-raising units of the academic associations and patriotic organisations will attend the ceremony in the Governor’s Garden. Music will be provided by the choirs of the Estonian Male Choir Association, conducted by Andrus Siimon, Indrek Vijard and Jaanika Kuusik, and the Estonian Police and Border Guard Orchestra, conducted by Riivo Jõgi.
The national flag at the Tall Hermann Tower will be raised by three generations of one family – member of August 20th Club Tõnu Saarman with his daughter and grandchildren.
At 10 a.m., flowers will be laid at the Memorial Stone to 20 August.
At 11 a.m., Eesti Post will present the postal stationery dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the restoration of independence in the White Hall of Toompea Castle.
The postal card with imprinted stamp has a photo of the Session Hall of the Riigikogu Building immediately after the resolution on the restoration of independence had been passed. The stamp shows the time “23.03” (11.03 p.m.), when the Supreme Council adopted the Resolution on the National Independence of Estonia.
Vice-President of the Riigikogu Hanno Pevkur, CEO of the state postal company Eesti Post Mart Mägi, President of the August 20th Club Ants Veetõusme and artist of the postal stationery Indrek Ilves will speak at the presentation.
At 12 noon, the August 20th Club and the 14th Riigikogu will hold a joint formal sitting.
President of the Riigikogu Jüri Ratas, President of the Republic Kersti Kaljulaid, President of the August 20th Club Ants Veetõusme and Chair of the Federation of Estonian Student Unions Marcus Ehasoo will deliver speeches at the joint sitting.
President of the 4 May Declaration Club of Latvia Velta Čebotarenoka, President of the Signatories of the Independence Act Club of Lithuania Birutė Valionytė and President of the European Parliament David Sassoli will also address the Riigikogu.
The sitting will be live broadcast by ETV and ETV+.
At 2 p.m., he August 20 Club will hold its traditional festive meeting in the White Hall of Toompea Castle.
President of the August 20th Club Ants Veetõusme, President of the 4 May Declaration Club of Latvia Velta Čebotarenoka and President of the Signatories of the Independence Act Club of Lithuania Birutė Valionytė will make speeches at the festive meeting.
At 3 p.m., the festive concert “The Spirit and the Power of Woman” will begin in the Governor’s Garden.
The concert is dedicated to the Estonian women, who have carried the home, the homeland, the people and the nation through both the hard and the bright times.
With this concert, 30 female musicians of Estonia and the Academic Male Choir of Tallinn University of Technology honour the free Estonia.
Mari Jürjens, Naised Köögis, Anne Veski, Liisi Koikson, Liis Lemsalu, Anett, Anna Kaneelina, Birgit Sarrap, Tanja Mihhailova-Saar, Dagmar Oja and Kaire Vilgats, Tuuli Rand and Kristel Aaslaid, Evelin Võigemast, Rita Ray, Lenna, Swinging Sisters, Elina Born, Laura Prits, Getter Jaani, Elerin, Inga, Rahel and Kadri Voorand will be the singers.
The singers will be accompanied by the band formed of Kaspar Kalluste, Marek Talts, Joel Remmel, Hele-Riin Uib and Swinging Sisters. The Academic Male Choir of Tallinn University of Technology will be conducted by Valter Soosalu.
The producer of the festive concert is Danel Pandre and the music director is Marti Tärn. The concert will be hosted by Üllar Saaremäe.
Due to the restrictions on the attendance of public events, we will distribute only 500 free tickets to the concert. They are available at the sales points and on the website of Piletilevi.
We ask you to present a COVID-19 vaccination certificate, a certificate of recovery from COVID-19, or a test certificate with a negative result for entry to the concert. Rapid testing will also be possible.
The concert can be followed on ETV, ETV+ and Vikerraadio.
On the anniversary of the presidential election in Belarus, the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees of the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland reiterate their support for the sovereignty and independence of Belarus, call on the international community to increase support for Belarus civil society, maintain the non-recognition policy of Aleksander Lukashenko’s regime, and demand for a new presidential election in Belarus.
Full text of the joint statement:
“On August 9, 2020, a falsified Belarusian Presidential election threw Belarus into turmoil, leading to peaceful protests among the people of Belarus and the emergence of a broad democratic movement against the incumbent Aleksander Lukashenko. However, since that day, these protests of tens of thousands of people have been met with mass repression by the Belarusian regime’s authorities.
On the anniversary of the falsified election in Belarus, August 9, we, the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees of the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia Lithuania, and Poland stand in solidarity with all Belarusians on the front lines of the struggle for freedom, self-determination, and democracy.
We stand in solidarity with the more than 33,000 people who have gone through police detention for their activism and with the thousands of victims that have been brutalised, harassed, tortured, exiled, intimidated, and murdered by the regime. Despite their own supposed authorities’ inhuman and illegal treatment, Belarusians have continued to fight for freedom. We, on our part, reiterate our demands that have remained the same: an immediate cessation of all violence, the release of all political prisoners and hold a new free and fair presidential election in Belarus in cooperation with the international community and institutions.
In the year since the falsified election, the Lukashenko regime has targeted civil society groups, human rights organisations, think tanks, journalistic, environmental, social, charity, educational, youth and business organisations, and independent media to suffocate Belarus’ civil society of their desire for democracy. In addition, the regime has weaponised migration to exert political pressure on the European Union and its Member States in recent months. It is an ongoing hybrid attack by the Alexander Lukashenka regime against the integrity of the EU external border.
Thus, on the anniversary of August 9, we commit and call on the international community to increase support for Belarus’ civil society, media, and human rights organisations, maintain the non-recognition policy of Aleksander Lukashenko’s regime and maintain the demand for a new presidential election in Belarus under international observation and according to the OSCE Moscow Mechanism.
We call on the EU Council and our partners to extend individual and sectoral sanctions on the Belarusian regime, including “Belavia”, Belarus state aviation company, as long as it participates in an organised weaponisation of irregular migrants; the EU should extend sectorial financial sanctions to prevent “Belavia” from the access to the financial instruments (leasing) of the EU based financial entities.
We also call the EU institutions to prepare new sanctions regime targeting all parties involved in state-sponsored use of irregular migration flows. In addition, restrictive measures targeted at migrants’ smugglers abusing human rights should be considered and swiftly implemented. Finally, we insist on the necessity to hold those responsible to account – all those who have participated in organising and facilitating the irregular migration into the EU.
We reaffirm our support for Belarus sovereignty and independence and urge the international community to adopt an effective deterrence mechanism against attempts of the Russian Federation or other nations to sign illegitimate Lukashenka agreements, affecting Belarusian sovereignty and vital national interest. Furthermore, we call for an international investigation of the crimes perpetrated by the Lukashenko regime and the full and prompt implementation of the OSCE Moscow Mechanism and the UN Human Rights Council Resolution 46/20 (on March 2021).”
Today, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Marko Mihkelson will meet with his Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish counterparts in Vilnius to visit the Lithuania-Belarus border and get an overview of the situation there.
Mihkelson pointed out that the illegal migrants who had arrived at the Lithuanian border constituted a serious security risk, which was caused by Belarus’s attempt to give Lithuania a harsh lesson. “It is the first time for all Baltic States to experience such a situation. The aim of the hybrid attack targeted firstly at Lithuania, but actually against the whole Baltic allied space, is to persuade the international community to refrain from sanctions against the Belarusian regime and supporting the Belarusian civil society,” he said. “Such hybrid attacks sow insecurity and division, and are a serious threat to the security of states.”
“Estonia has stretched Lithuania a helping hand. It is important to continue strong cooperation and active exchange of information. We must show that there is an international unanimity to face the problem, to ensure the security of the region and to continue supporting the Belarusians’ aspirations for freedom,” Mihkelson added. “The visit is a clear sign of our solidarity with our southern neighbour. We condemn the activities of the Belarusian regime and do all we can to stop the hybrid attack,” he emphasised.
Mihkelson said that the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees would also commemorate one-year anniversary of the beginning of the people’s revolution in Belarus by participating in the reception of the Belarus civil society on the invitation of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya.
There will also be meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Gabrielius Landsbergis as well as Advisors to the Prime Minister of Lithuania Kęstutis Lančinskas and Galina Vaščenkaitė.
At 11.45 a.m., the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees will give a press conference at the Lithuanian Border Guard School in Medininkai.
NordenBladet — The Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Ireland, Poland, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States underline in their joint statement that the completion of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will undermine the European gas market, endanger security, and threaten the already precarious sovereignty of Ukraine.
In the opinion of Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Marko Mihkelson, the joint decision of the United States and Germany to give the green light to the completion of Nord Stream 2 could strain the security situation of the whole Europe. “The completion of the project will give Russia yet another tool to pressure and blackmail Ukraine as an important energy transit country. The parties involved have to understand that the only one to profit from the gas pipeline is Russia. It is a serious security crisis,” he added.
Mihkelson pointed out that the joint statement emphasised that it was necessary to make a collective commitment to increase support to the security and defence capabilities of Ukraine by delivering a road map for Ukraine’s path towards joining the NATO alliance, and to agree upon a European Union membership perspective for Ukraine. “We need to make a collective commitment to increase support to the security and defence capabilities of Ukraine in order to prevent a deepening of the current security crisis, exacerbated by the threats created by Nord Stream 2,” the Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees emphasise. They also call for commitments from NATO to strengthen deterrence, especially on the Eastern Flank from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea.
The signatories consider Nord Stream 2 a geopolitical project geared towards expanding Russia’s influence on Europe by dominating the energy market. “The likely repercussion of the completion and operation of Nord Stream 2 is to undermine the development of a single, liberalized, and open European market by consolidating sources of supply in the Nord Stream 2 system and deterring investment in alternatives,” the joint statement says. “We expect a clear commitment from Germany to reduce dependency on gas imported from Russia and move towards green energy.”
It is also insisted that any further agreements on Nord Stream 2 necessitate consultations across the transatlantic family. “Countering malign Russian aggression is in all of NATO’s, all EU members, and our partners in Central and Eastern Europe vital national security interests,” the signatories emphasise.
NordenBladet — Chairs of the Foreign Affairs Committees of the Parliaments of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Czech Republic, Poland, France, Ukraine, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, United States, Germany and United Kingdom made a joint statement in support of Lithuania in connection with the politically motivated migration pressure.
With the statement, the Chairs of Foreign Affairs Committees express strong transatlantic solidarity with Lithuania.
“We, the Chairs of our respective national parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committees, condemn unequivocally the use of trafficked migrants by the illegal Lukashenka regime to undermine neighbouring states. Using the most vulnerable as leverage in a political dispute is shameful and draws comparison with the act of air piracy we witnessed in May.
The attempt to push migrants over the border of Lithuania is a criminal and inhuman act aimed at undermining the solidarity and support of the Lithuanian people towards those in Belarus who crave liberty and reject the stolen elections of last year. This is a new and pernicious assault on a European Union member state and NATO ally. It should be met with solidarity and a national, European and transatlantic response.
We call for a ban on flights to Belarus suspected of being used for state-organised people trafficking.
We call for sanctions on those involved in this state-organised people trafficking across international borders and the Lukashenka regime that controls it.
We call for a joint commitment to end the people trafficking across the EU borders, including support to Frontex, Border Management and Visa Instrument, European Asylum Support Office and other national and international agencies that can support Lithuania or other states targeted by this unconventional attack by the Lukashenka regime.
We call for joint EU and NATO statements directed to the governments of Iraq, Turkey, and any other state used by the Lukashenka regime in the abuse and instrumentalization of migrants, to end the practice and defend the dignity of those whose rights are being violated.”
The statement is open for further signatures. Current signatories:
NordenBladet — At the meeting with the Latvian and Lithuanian Speakers in Riga today, President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas underlined the importance of the cooperation between the Baltic States in all fields of life.
“The world today is not as we used to know it a year ago,” Ratas said. “We are still fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic implications. There are many unresolved conflicts escalating in our neighbourhood, and some problems have already reached our borders.”
Ratas emphasised that difficult times should not pull us apart, but they should bring us closer to each other. “A real bond is forged in times of hardships and trials. I believe that together we will be able to find the best solutions,” Ratas told his Baltic counterparts. “Times like this call for a united stand, commitment and joint efforts.”
Ratas recalled that the pandemic had demonstrated the need to cooperate constantly and to coordinate decisions even more actively than before. He remarked that the “Baltic bubble” was a good example of the flexibility of travel regulations and a valuable lesson for the future.
The President of the Riigikogu admitted that the importance of boarder guard cooperation was increasing. “The refugee situation in Lithuania demonstrates to Latvia and Estonia the need to be actively vigilant,” Ratas noted. “Let us show that solidarity with Lithuania is practical – Estonia has decided to contribute to managing the Lithuanian refugee crisis with two teams and technical support through the Frontex.”
Ratas said that the security issues had always been one of the top items on the Baltic cooperation agenda, and it would have to be so in the future as well. “Keeping up the level of defence expenses, the trans-Atlantic cooperation and the enhanced forward presence of the allies in the region are vital for all of us.”
Ratas believes that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have to show unity in their messages and have to also convince the other member states of the European Union that the sanctions against Lukashenka’s regime will need to remain in place until the situation normalizes in Belarus. The aim is that all political prisoners be released immediately and violence against protesters be stopped at once. “The Eastern Partnership countries need our full support both bilaterally and in multilateral cooperation,” Ratas underlined, and added that support could also be practical, for example, the Eastern Partnership had the need for additional vaccines.
Ratas thinks that the mutual cooperation between the Baltic parliaments is functioning excellently within the framework of the Baltic Assembly, which at present is presided by Lithuania and which also celebrates its 30th anniversary this year. He expressed hope that, although the pandemic restrictions had disturbed the normal work of committees, they would all be able to participate in the session to be held in Vilnius this November.
NordenBladet — The discussions at the meeting of President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas and Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez focused on strengthening of bilateral relations, defence cooperation in NATO and developing of digital services.
Ratas noted that although already 100 years had passed from the establishing of diplomatic relations between Estonia and Spain, the contacts between them had noticeably improved during recent years.
The President of the Riigikogu thanked Spain for their contribution to the NATO’s Baltic Air Policing and to the Enhanced Forward Presence of NATO allies in the Baltic States. He expressed hope that Spain would deploy its fighters again in Ämari Air Base in the coming years.
Ratas assured the Prime Minister of Spain that the Baltic States were not only consumers of the security provided by NATO, but also contributed to it themselves. “As the members of NATO, we share the principle of 360-degree approach to security and make our contribution in the missions in the South,” Ratas said.
At the meeting, Ratas made a proposal that Estonia and Spain could more actively promote cooperation in developing the digital society. “Both Estonia and Spain have already made great efforts to develop a wide variety of public digital services, but partnerships in this domain would definitely accelerate the growth,” Ratas emphasised. In his opinion, the recent COVID-19 crisis has demonstrated people’s need for digital skills and secure and reliable communication lines.
Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Indrek Saar and Chair of the Estonia-Spain Parliamentary Friendship Group Vilja Toomast also participated in the meeting with the Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez. They underlined the importance of parliamentary cooperation in different fields.
NordenBladet — The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly held its Annual Session in Vienna, Austria. At the Session, three questions of urgency were adopted, the activities of the Assembly during the last year were discussed and a new President was elected.
Head of the Estonian delegation Mati Raidma said that the adoption of the resolution condemning the destabilizing military build-up by the Russian Federation near Ukraine and in temporarily occupied Crimea was a strong statement in support of Ukraine.
“It is good that support was expressed to regional security and Ukraine’s efforts to restore its territorial integrity in internationally recognised borders,” Raidma said. According to him, the sharpness of discussions is illustrated by the fact that the delegation of the Russian Federation did not accept the decision and left the OSCE PA session in Vienna after it was voted on.
Two more urgency items were adopted at the Session. On the initiative of the Netherlands, the resolution “The general approach to dissent in Belarus” was adopted, and the USA initiated the item “Addressing the Rise in Hate, Intolerance, Violence and Discrimination across the OSCE Region”.
At the Annual Session, Deputy Head of the Swedish delegation Margareta Cederfelt was elected the President of the Assembly.
The Annual Session, which was held in hybrid format from 30 June to 6 July, was also attended by members of the Estonian delegation Heljo Pikhof and Marko Šorin.
The aim of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is to increase the involvement of its member countries in resolving European political and security issues and to strengthen the responsibility and influence of members of parliament.
NordenBladet — President of the Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) Jüri Ratas and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Confederation Ignazio Cassis spoke of bilateral cooperation in digital developing of public services and establishing of direct contacts in the promotion of business and tourism at their meeting today.
“Estonia and Switzerland are close partners, and it is important to maintain our close connections and to deepen cooperation in economy, culture and tourism,” the President of the Riigikogu said.
Ratas and Cassis admitted that the direct flights between Tallinn and Zürich, which had started last month, contributed to the development of bilateral relations. “It provides our people with a much-needed connection, and it will help both tourism and business to expand their market,” Ratas said. He added that good flight connection was also important to the more than a thousand Estonians living and working in Switzerland who have close relations with Estonia.
At the meeting, Ratas recalled his recent visit to Switzerland that had been a part of the celebrations of 100 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Both at the visit and at today’s meeting, the digital development of public services was discussed. “Estonia and Switzerland seem to have many promising beginnings of cooperation in this field,” Ratas said, and expressed hope that both the governments and the start-up companies in both countries could find ways to do more together.
The Swiss Minister of Foreign Affairs saw the possibility to learn from Estonia’s experience in digitalisation of data and providing the e-services of digital governance as the next step in bilateral relations. The President of the Riigikogu gave his guest an overview of the public digital services of Estonia and also spoke of e-elections and the attitudes of people in using the digital services. The need to ensure cyber security and protection of personal data were discussed as well. Chairman of the Estonia-Switzerland Parliamentary Friendship Group Anti Poolamets, who participated in the meeting, highlighted the cyber security aspects of digitalisation and the need to add it to school curriculum as an elective course.
Experiences of overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic were shared, and the organisation of the daily work of the governments and parliaments and the holding of referendums was compared in the two countries.
Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu Marko Mihkelson and Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Mihhail Lotman also met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland. They discussed the international policy work of parliaments, Estonia’s participation in international peacekeeping missions and Estonia’s Presidency in the UN Security Council. Mihkelson underlined the importance of rules-based world order in international relations and close cooperation of democratic countries in defending it.