Estonia, EU – Baltic States

"All these accusations are invented after all, all these accusations have been launched by the media to a big degree. I thank Estonian Public Broadcasting, which in fact does not belong to the propagandists of that broadcasting company but to the Estonian people, but they have not understood this and think that they are working in some kind of a universe of their own. Thank you for hyping up this scandal!" Helme said.

The minister and chairman of the Estonian Conservative People's Party (EKRE) described the claims made by the authors of the no confidence motion as lies. 

"One lie is that I am disparaging ordinary working people," the minister said. "I believe there are few people in this chamber who have thrown as much dung [out of the cowshed] as I have, who have done as much digging and plowing at planting beds and in the field as I have, who have cut as much hay, heaped up hay, put it before animals as I have."

"To be accusing me that I don't know what the life of a simple person is like, that I am disparaging simple work is outright ridiculous. It is invented and propagandistic," Helme said.

Helme also said that he has "never, ever disparaged or insulted the Finnish people." 

"I cannot agree with the course of the current Finnish government, its ideological platform. And I have the right to say this both as a private person and a member of the government of the Republic of Estonia, which does not mean that we should be picking a row with Finland," Helme said.

The 101-seat chamber on Tuesday rejected the censure motion against the interior minister with 44 votes in favor and 42 against, with no abstentions.

The motion would have required 51 votes to pass.