Estonian formin in New York: Media freedom comes with a responsibility

TALLINN - Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna on Thursday spoke at a high-level event marking the fifth anniversary of the Media Freedom Coalition (MFC), held as part of the UN's high-level week, with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa attending.

At the MFC event, Tsahkna said that media freedom has an important role in ensuring democracy and peace; however, journalists also have a responsibility to cover topics that are actually important for the better operation of society.

"Democracy cannot exist without freedom of expression," Tsahkna said. "Unfortunately, we often see that the countries that disregard human rights and media freedom are also the countries that violate international rules."

The Estonian minister also delivered the opening remarks at a side event on protecting the cultural heritage of Ukraine, organized by the Open Society Foundation and Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.

"The deliberate and systematic destruction of Ukraine's cultural heritage by Russia shows the true nature of imperialism," Tsahkna said, adding that it was important for Ukraine’s allies to help protect and preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage. Preventing illegal trade in Ukraine's cultural objects was of key importance here.

The minister also spoke in a panel discussion on the use of AI at an event at Estonia's honorary consulate in New York, which was opened on Thursday. He said that every honorary consul is a valuable addition to Estonia's diplomatic network that is on the modest side when it comes to size, as is characteristic of a small country.

"Opening an honorary consulate in New York allows us to further boost economic and cultural ties between Estonia and United States and provide consular assistance to Estonian citizens who run into problems in the metropolis," he said.

The opening ceremony was followed by a panel discussion with Estonian and US experts on using artificial intelligence, with a presentation of Estonia’s innovative digital solutions and both Estonia and the United States sharing best practices in the successful implementation of AI. They also explored the responsible use of AI and regulations aimed at mitigating relevant risks.

On the last day of the UN's high-level week, the Estonian minister also spoke at the ministerial meeting of the International Criminal Court, the meeting of the foreign ministers of the European Union and CELAC, and, standing in for the health minister, at the summit on measures against antibiotics resistance. He also had bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Korea and China and the UN's Under Secretary General Rosemary DiCarlo.