Estonian foreign minister attending high-level week at UN

TALLINN – Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna is in New York from Monday to Thursday to attend the opening week of the UN General Assembly's 79th session, with President Alar Karis leading the Estonian delegation.

The foreign minister said the high-level week of the UN provides a good opportunity to raise the issues that Estonia considers important on the broadest possible international stage, and Estonia will be focused on ensuring Ukraine's victory and making progress towards a UN reform, spokespeople for the Foreign Ministry in Tallinn said.

"Once Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity have been restored and Russia's violation of the UN Charter has ended, all countries across the world can feel safer," the Estonian minister said.

Tsahkna said Estonia's objective in New York is to speak at various events and bilateral meetings about the global importance and benefit of comprehensive support to Ukraine.

"Russia's defeat in the war of aggression it started is crucial for sending a message to autocrats across the world: there is no point in even attempting to alter national borders by force," Tsahkna said.

The minister also emphasized that Estonia expects specific steps towards a reform of the UN.

"As a result of the reform, it should be possible to circumvent the veto of a permanent member, at least in the case of an aggression and a violation of the sovereignty of another state," Tsahkna said. "The current situation, where a permanent member of the UN Security Council is not upholding peace and security and is instead waging a war against its neighbor, and cannot be held responsible due to its veto rights, is undermining the operation and credibility of the UN and the multipolar world in general."

On the first day of the high-level week of the UN, the Estonian foreign minister will speak at a meeting on political prisoners and human rights in Belarus, at the meeting of G7+ foreign ministers on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, the 50-in-5 event on public digital infrastructure, and the Freedom Online Coalition event on artificial intelligence. Additionally, there will be a meeting of EU foreign ministers and a bilateral meeting with the foreign minister of Bahrain.