The Head of State said that the national agreement being prepared by him and the Presidents Academic Council could be put into practice only through an open dialogue. This dialogue, in Presidents opinion, should be communicated to the public by the press speaking out in support of the social cohesion. This had been implied by the today's statement of the journalists' union, too, stressing that the absence of social dialogue in the media sector inhibited the dialogue in society on the whole.
The President thanked the Union of Journalists for their support to the initiative of concluding the national agreement and their willingness to be one of the active parties to this accord, by that helping to rule out the possibility of a silent era in Estonia. The leaders of the journalists' professional association expressed their desire that, together with them, also the Estonian Newspaper Association as an association of employers participated in the conclusion of the accord, which would enable a branch-internal dialogue to emerge.
According to President Rüütel, the subjects of the agreement should not only cover the Estonian political landscape but also include non-political civic associations. "This will show who perceives and is ready to take shared responsibility for the future of Estonia," the President said.
Office of the President
Kadriorg, February 17, 2003
