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International Internet Magazine. Baltic States news & analytics Thursday, 28.03.2024, 16:12

Estonian President in the center of a scandal again

BC, Tallinn, 09.04.2015.Print version
Journalist of the British newspaper The Times Roger Boyes confirmed on Thursday that even though the President of Estonia used during the interview to him the term "useful idiots", he did not point out any country, LETA/Public Broadcasting reports.

The list of countries mentioned in the article was the journalist's own interpretation and Boyes apologized that his writing left the impression as if the President of Estonia had pointed out specific EU Member States.

 

Roger Boyes told Public Broadcasting's online news portal ERR News that Ilves did use the term "useful idiots", but there was ambiguity about it. "On reflection he could have been referring more generally to far-right groupings or to lobbyists who have reached a separate agreement with Mr Putin. The President did not single out Greece or Cyprus – that was my interpretation. He was careful, even statesmanlike in not naming countries. He said: "I can't really talk about countries or names but you can make the deductions." That was what I did and I'm sorry if the phrasing suggested that he was directly and explicitly pointing the finger at fellow EU states. They were mentioned merely to supply context," Boyes said.

 

Greek Foreign Ministry summoned Estonian Ambassador Margus Rava on Thursday who was presented a protest in connection with an interview Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves gave recently to The Times. The newspaper article leaves the impression that Ilves called Greece, Italy, Hungary and Cyprus, who want the relaxation of sanctions against Russia, "idiots useful to Putin".

 

Specifically, the section that gained diplomatic response, reads as follows: "In a wide-ranging interview, Mr Ilves railed against President Putin's "useful idiots" within the European Union, such as Greece, Italy, Hungary and Cyprus, who are pressing for an easing of sanctions – and, he claims, disrupting the unity of the bloc. "

 

Estonian President's Office announced on Thursday that Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in an interview to The Times (article in The Times on April 3rd 2015, Nato 'must respond to Russian cyber assault') has not used an offensive term for any country as has been attributed to him. "During the interview President Ilves expressed his concern over the extremist political forces in the EU who prioritize personal financial and economic interests over the common EU values," the office said. "The journalist admitted that it was his assumption and his purpose was to reflect a wider debate within the EU, rather than the words of the President."

 

The Office of the President in cooperation with the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs communicated the information above to all ambassadors of the relevant countries.






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