Today’s sitting of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu focused on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the tragedy with the Malaysian plane, which demonstrates the seriousness of the situation.

The Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Marko Mihkelson said that unfortunately hundreds of people from tens of countries had to die so that the world could once again get confirmation that the Russian-Ukrainian conflict is a threat to global security. “It is necessary to conduct an international investigation quickly on the basis of objective evidence, including the signal intelligence data, in order to identify those responsible for the tragedy,” said Mihkelson.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Paet, who introduced Estonia’s positions regarding the solving of the Ukrainian crisis at the European Council, gave an overview of the latest developments in Ukraine at the sitting of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

“The Foreign Affairs Committee supports the position of the Government that the decisions adopted at the European Council must be implemented as soon as possible, and the main purpose of further sanctions should be to end Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,” Mihkelson said.

„The Foreign Affairs Committee also heard an overview of the situation in the Middle East: the conflict between Israel and Palestine, the situation in Iraq and Syria.

The Foreign Affairs Committee discussed Estonia’s positions regarding the appointment of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. The Committee was of the opinion that the person who would be appointed to that position should have experience in foreign policy and understand the security of the Baltic Sea region.

The Riigikogu Press Service