I have acknowledged the resignation handed in by Toomas Hendrik Ilves, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, which has placed Prime Minister Siimann in a difficult situation. In this connection, I would like to point out the following.

I regret the resignation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in a situation where Estonia needs consistency both in constructive building of relations with Russia in the light of the latter's current economic and political crisis, and in developing our relationship with the European Union, where the political framework of evaluations that is to determine Estonia's fate for decades to come is outlined at the present time.

Secondly: the declaration of the Riigikogu elections is a constitutional procedure despite the fact that Estonia is currently living as if in a state of permanent pre-election struggle, as our media also has noted. I would have preferred our active foreign policy to continue, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs to resign only after the elections had been declared and the election campaign started.

Thirdly: being convinced that parliamentary democracy can only be based on strong parties with solid political programmes, I welcome the resignation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs despite the above. The People's Party and its leader would have appeared in an ambiguous situation, as it is impossible to be both in opposition and in the Cabinet.

The above being said, I expect the Government to consider the current international situation objectively before proposing the candidate for the post of the Minister of Foreign Affairs. We all have to bear in mind that a small country – which Estonia undeniably is – must place foreign and security policy above party politics.


Lennart Meri

September 30, 1998

back | archive of press releases | main page