Statement by Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland at the 110th Ministerial Meeting of the Committee of Ministers in Vilnius
Mr. Chairman,
Terrorism is today one of the major threats to our civilization, to its ideals and values. It is, therefore, and rightly so, an important concern and preoccupation for the international community. It is being examined in many fora of international cooperation, both those in which Estonia already participates, such as the United Nations and the OSCE, and those in which Estonia aspires to join in the near future, such as NATO and the European Union.
Estonia strongly supports all these efforts aimed at promoting the security, peace and prosperity of the international community. We shall continue to do so at the international level and we shall also undertake all necessary actions at the national level.
We consider it important to avoid any overlapping of activities that would result in inefficiency and a waste of valuable resources. Otherwise we run the risk of an uncoordinated and counterproductive multiplication of efforts, which is, indeed, a concern for countries with limited administrative manpower and expertise. We would emphasize the need for each international forum to focus its contribution on the general fight against terrorism by capitalizing on its special expertise and experience and by also taking into account what could be better accomplished elsewhere.
We therefore warmly welcome the emphasis laid in the Council of Europe on standard-setting activities. We applaud its insistence on full respect for the values and standards with which it has been identified for more than half a century and that these must continue to guide our actions, in times of serious challenge.
In this spirit the Government of Estonia shall continue to support the work undertaken by the Council in the legal and human rights area. We believe it is of great importance that this work be pursued at the wider European level as well as at the regional level. We, therefore, give our full support to the GMT and to its activities.
I would also like to emphasize the need to ensure an immediate and efficient follow-up at the practical level, which could be also done at the narrower regional level, as shown by the information exchange system set up by the three Baltic States in this field and by the activities of EUROPOL, which Estonia recently joined.
The Estonian Government is currently undertaking an inventory of legal and administrative provisions in order to ascertain whether there is a need for strengthening and improvement. We shall continue to do this with particular reference to all the UN Security Council resolutions and Counter Terrorism Committee’s proposals and also to the guidelines to be adopted by the Council of Europe later this year.
Thank you for your attention.
Terrorism is today one of the major threats to our civilization, to its ideals and values. It is, therefore, and rightly so, an important concern and preoccupation for the international community. It is being examined in many fora of international cooperation, both those in which Estonia already participates, such as the United Nations and the OSCE, and those in which Estonia aspires to join in the near future, such as NATO and the European Union.
Estonia strongly supports all these efforts aimed at promoting the security, peace and prosperity of the international community. We shall continue to do so at the international level and we shall also undertake all necessary actions at the national level.
We consider it important to avoid any overlapping of activities that would result in inefficiency and a waste of valuable resources. Otherwise we run the risk of an uncoordinated and counterproductive multiplication of efforts, which is, indeed, a concern for countries with limited administrative manpower and expertise. We would emphasize the need for each international forum to focus its contribution on the general fight against terrorism by capitalizing on its special expertise and experience and by also taking into account what could be better accomplished elsewhere.
We therefore warmly welcome the emphasis laid in the Council of Europe on standard-setting activities. We applaud its insistence on full respect for the values and standards with which it has been identified for more than half a century and that these must continue to guide our actions, in times of serious challenge.
In this spirit the Government of Estonia shall continue to support the work undertaken by the Council in the legal and human rights area. We believe it is of great importance that this work be pursued at the wider European level as well as at the regional level. We, therefore, give our full support to the GMT and to its activities.
I would also like to emphasize the need to ensure an immediate and efficient follow-up at the practical level, which could be also done at the narrower regional level, as shown by the information exchange system set up by the three Baltic States in this field and by the activities of EUROPOL, which Estonia recently joined.
The Estonian Government is currently undertaking an inventory of legal and administrative provisions in order to ascertain whether there is a need for strengthening and improvement. We shall continue to do this with particular reference to all the UN Security Council resolutions and Counter Terrorism Committee’s proposals and also to the guidelines to be adopted by the Council of Europe later this year.
Thank you for your attention.
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