Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu called for the Council of Europe to be cleansed of Russians. He is convinced that employees who are citizens of the Russian Federation cannot continue to work in this European body after Russia is excluded from it, because this undermines the credibility of the Council of Europe as a body that protects human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
Russian citizens should be expelled from the Council of Europe after the expulsion of the Russian Federation, because their country continues its aggressive war against Ukraine and ignores international law. The head of Estonian diplomacy published an official letter on this occasion to the leadership of the Council of Europe in his Twitter.
“Against the background of the ongoing war of Russia in Ukraine, as well as the complete disregard for international law, there cannot be Russian citizens among the staff of the Council of Europe. This undermines the confidence of the Council of Europe, whose key tasks are the protection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law,” Reinsalu said.
He also published his official letter on this issue, addressed to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Maria Pejčinović-Buric, as well as the President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland, Tordis Kolbrun Reikfjord Gilfadottir.
In the letter, the head of the Estonian Foreign Ministry stressed that he considers it unacceptable that Russian citizens continue to work in the organization – despite the fact that Russia was excluded from it, and the Kremlin continues to wage war against Ukraine and does not care about international law.
“This discredits an organization that was created to promote our common values - human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe. It is also impossible not to appreciate the risk of external pressure on such workers. Therefore, additional steps are needed to maintain confidence in the Council of Europe,” he wrote in Reinsalu leaves.
He called for a return to an urgent discussion of the legitimacy and appropriateness of the work of Russian citizens in the Council of Europe. The issue should be resolved before the summit of the leaders of the states and governments of the countries included in this body. It is scheduled for mid-May.
“We cannot allow this problem to discredit the summit of leaders of states and governments of the Council of Europe, which will be held on May 16-17. Leaders should be able to focus on the future of the organization and concrete steps to improve the protection of human rights throughout our continent,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs is convinced . affairs of Estonia.
Recall that earlier the ex-president of Estonia called on the West to provide Kyiv with fighter jets. Kersti Kaljulaid said that the West must do this as soon as possible in order to bring Ukraine closer to victory in the war with Russia. She noted that this type of weaponry can help to significantly reduce the losses of the Ukrainian army at the front.
Source: Obozrevatel
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