Isamaa chairman: Estonia should have remained OSCE chairmanship candidate
Former Foreign Minister, Isamaa chairman Urmas Reinsalu said that Estonia should have stuck to its candidacy for the chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and should have opened a discussion about not letting the aggressor Russia dictate the chairmanship.
According to Reinsalu, Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna said last week that submitting to Russian blackmail is unacceptable. International media wrote that on Monday the OSCE countries reached a consensus and Malta will hold the chairmanship of the organization in 2024. As is known, Estonia was the joint candidate of the European Union for the chairmanship, but Russia opposed this.
According to Reinsalu, the position of the foreign affairs committee of the Riigikogu last week was that Estonia should not withdraw from its candidacy and give in to Russia's demands.
«The prime minister of Malta announced to the public that OSCE member states have agreed by consensus in the Permanent Council on their recommendation that Malta hold the OSCE chairmanship in 2024. As you may remember, Estonia was the European Union's joint candidate for the OSCE chairmanship instead,» Reinsalu said.
According to Reinsalu, the discussion in the foreign affairs committee last week reflected the attitude of the members of the committee regarding this issue, that we should maintain our candidacy and not give in to Russia's veto.