Foreign Minister Reinsalu attends a UN Security Council discussion on Thursday 

On Thursday 9 January, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu will speak at an open discussion organised by the Security Council President Vietnam, which is dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the UN and the UN Charter. It is the first high-level event that Estonia attends as an elected member of the UN Security Council. The talks will mostly focus on the veto rights of the members of the Security Council.

Ahead of the meeting, Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said that the Security Council was one of the main bodies responsible for peace and stability in the world, and recent increased tensions in the wider Middle East region, including today’s missile strikes, were worrying. “On the subject of the UN Charter, we cannot ignore the security situation in the Middle East and must find ways to come up with diplomatic solutions to deescalate tensions,” he said.

He added that he would definitely raise the issue of the aggression against Ukraine and Georgia in his speech, and present Estonia’s positions on limiting veto rights in cases that concern genocide or other crimes against humanity.

The meeting is chaired by Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, the rapporteur is the Secretary-General of the UN António Guterres.

The discussion is followed by a lunch for Security Council members and the UN Secretary-General. Foreign Minister Reinsalu also plans to hold a series of bilateral meetings.