Estonian Foreign Minister Toomas Hendrik Ilves has caused another wave of fury among supporters of Baltic unity by a recent interview to the Wall Street Journal Europe.
Published:
18 May 2001 y., Friday
Only a week ago Ilves praised Pan-Baltic cooperation and named Latvia and Lithuania as Estonia's closest political partners, but now it seems he has turned his back on the Baltics again.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was not troubled by Ilves' usage of four-letter words when speaking about the Baltic states. Taavi Toom, head of media relations at the ministry, said the quote was taken out of the context of the interview, which Ilves gave last fall. The story was eventually published on May 10 this year.
Ilves told the Baltic News Service agency that rather than referring to Latvia or Lithuania he was commenting on the opinion of one Western diplomat who said Estonians should not think of themselves other than as a Baltic state that used to be part of the former Soviet Union.
However, Ilves admitted that after the publication of the story he was honest when he mentioned he did not feel like a Balt and that the root of the problem is the notion of the three Baltic states linked together. All that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have in common are negative things, Ilves argues.
The opposition reported it was disappointed, but could barely conceal its pleasure at being handed a ready-made scandal. The Center Party in a written statement released on May 11 demanded Ilves apologize to Latvians and Lithuanians. The foreign minister's idea that by insulting its neighbors Estonia can change its image for Northern and Western European countries is erroneous, the statement continued.
Edgar Savisaar, chairman of the Center Party, said Ilves had never behaved like the foreign minister of Estonia. The opposition leader added that the foreign minister is harming Estonia's relations with her neighboring countries.
Šaltinis:
The Baltic Times
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.
The most popular articles
51-year-old mother of eight, sits beside her sick husband, Tuy Muy, 52, in Battambang Provincial Referral Hospital. He is lying on a bed with a stomach problem, battling nausea and vomiting.
more »
The length of maternity and paternity leave are at the heart of a crucial vote in the plenary sitting of March 24-25.
more »
The perception women have of the EU, the way the economic and financial crisis is affecting women and the lessons to be learnt ahead of the 2014 elections are among the issues to be tackled during a colloquium being held at the European Parliament on Tuesday.
more »
To achieve quicker de facto gender equality, Commission and Member States should adopt and implement specific gender equality policies, Parliament said in a resolution adopted on Thursday.
more »
Are you thinking about setting up your own business or are you already a successful entrepreneur? The Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs exchange scheme offers an excellent opportunity for new entrepreneurs to acquire relevant skills for managing a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME).
more »
The pain of divorce and separation is all too often accompanied by financial and emotional hardship when one parent lives abroad and refuses to provide financial help.
more »
Most Europeans still do not know they can call 112 anywhere in the EU to contact the police, fire brigade or an ambulance.
more »
Helping to meet Haiti's humanitarian, reconstruction and nation-building needs must be the EU's priority in tackling the earthquake's aftermath, says Parliament in a resolution approved on Wednesday.
more »
Further work is needed to continue improving access to safe drinking-water at home, sewerage systems and safe bathing water throughout the European Region.
more »
Poor housing remains a blight across Europe and Tuesday evening MEPs will debate a plan to extend EU funding to help renovate and repair housing stock for the poorest people on the continent.
more »