The head of state underscored the importance of solidarity with other Member States, and more broadly. “We need to listen to one another more, as that will help us grasp one another’s concerns and allow us to explain our own positions more clearly,” he urged.
“The current order, and the principles that derive from it, are the cornerstone of the EU’s very existence, and the reason the union was created,” he continued. “European countries have the influence and the inner strength to resist the onslaught of power politics. If we are to maintain that influence, we need to invest more – and more dynamically – in innovation and technological development.”
President Karis warned that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine should not be viewed as a one-off regional crisis. “It is not only the countries on the eastern flanks of the EU that should be concerned, but all Member States, and the democratic world as a whole,” he said. “One of Russia’s main aims is to undermine the world order, and that is something we must all stand up against.”
The head of state attended the 20th International Conference of the Bled Strategic Forum on issues affecting Central and Southern Europe alongside his Slovenian, Czech and Montenegrin counterparts Nataša Pirc Musar, Petr Pavel and Jakov Milatović.
Tomorrow, President Karis will be meeting with President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Brussels to discuss European security. The head of state will return to Estonia on Thursday.
Gallery (Raigo Pajula/Office of the President): https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjCsHAR
