PM: Estonia will do everything in its power to stop religious extremism, terrorism and hatred
"In the wake of the violence and attacks against our common democratic values and our lifestyle, our best response is to adhere to our values, to remain ourselves and not become like those who are attacking us" Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas said to Parliament today.
“We will do everything in our power to stop religious extremism, terrorism and hatred,” Rõivas said.
According to him, the recent terror attacks are not the only security concern Europe has right now. “There is a war underway at Europe’s borders; our security landscape has been drastically changed for some time,” Rõivas said, adding that Estonia's and the EU's foreign policy, including the policy of sanctions, must be patient, untiring and ready to react to escalation, if necessary.
According to Rõivas, the main – and in many ways even existential – challenge for Europe in this and in the coming year is to address the refugee crisis triggered by the Syrian civil war. "In terms of the Paris attacks, I think it is important to say that it is arbitrary to directly link refugees to terrorism,” he said, stressing that the security and protection of Europe should be ensured and the situation taken under control through the improved registration of people arriving in Estonia and better identification of their need for protection, not by closing the door on them. “The European asylum system needs to be reviewed in terms of solidarity and sharing the load and from the perspective of maintaining law and order as well as internal security.”
Editor: M. Oll