On Tuesday 30 August, Estonian Ambassador to the UN Rein Tammsaar presented his credentials to UN Secretary-General António Guterres. In the conversation following the ceremony, Ambassador Tammsaar emphasised that Estonia was committed to strengthening the rules based order with the UN at its core and international law, which remain an integral part of Estonia’s security.
Ambassador Tammsaar underlined that Estonia’s foreign and security policy was currently focused on supporting Ukraine. “By offering Ukraine every support, ramping up sanctions and isolating Russia internationally, we must raise the cost of the aggression for Russia to such an extent that it will be forced to end this war. We cannot allow war fatigue to take hold, when our common values and the question of Ukraine’s statehood are at stake.”
Tammsaar emphasised that Russian troops have committed widespread and systematic atrocities: they have raped, deported, tortured and killed civilians. “The international community cannot accept this and must ensure that those who have incited, committed and organised war crimes will eventually be brought to justice. It is crucial for international law and rules based international system but also for bringing justice to victims,” the ambassador noted at the meeting.
Tammsaar also highlighted the global negative influence of Russia’s aggression. “The food crisis, rising energy prices and now the threat of nuclear disaster are only a few examples of the wider impact of the war. We must join forces to fight the disinformation and false narratives that Russia is using in its attempt to shift blame.” Tammsaar thanked Secretary-General Guterres for his efforts in reaching the Black Sea Grain Initiative. He also said he hoped the mission of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant would continue until the Russian troops leave the plant, end their dangerous provocations in the immediate vicinity of the plant and it can continue its unhindered operations within Ukraine’s electricity grid.
Tammsaar said that while his activities in the UN would at the moment concentrate on providing comprehensive assistance to Ukraine, Estonia’s work in the UN would continue to include advocating for human rights, the rights of women and children, gender equality, media freedom, digitalisation and cybersecurity.
Rein Tammsaar was born in 1968 in Tallinn. In 1992, he graduated from the Tallinn Pedagogical University and he has a master’s degree in political science. He also attended a PhD programme at the University of Tartu and graduated from the Estonian School of Diplomacy and the Spanish School of Diplomacy. Rein Tammsaar has held various positions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1994. Between 2004 and 2009, Tammsaar worked at the Policy Unit of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Javier Solana and from 2011 to 2015, he worked at the European Union’s delegation in Moscow. From 2015 to 2017, he was the foreign policy adviser to the prime minister of Estonia and from 2017 to 2018, he was the director general of the Policy Planning Department. In 2018 and 2019, he represented Estonia at the European Union’s Political and Security Committee (PSC) and in 2020, he was Estonia’s permanent representative to the European Union. Before his appointment as Estonia’s permanent representative to the UN, Tammsaar worked as the undersecretary for Political Affairs at Estonian MFA.
Rein Tammsaar presents his credentials to Secretary-General António Guterres. (Photo: UN)