The Center Party approved Tiit Terik, previously a Tallinn city government official, to be the next culture minister following the resignation of Anneli Ott last week.

Terik said culture is an important part of the coronavirus crisis and how people behave. "As a people, we have committed ourselves to ensuring the preservation of the Estonian nation and culture through the ages - this is the main goal by which the minister of culture should be guided by in their daily work. The blanket of culture is also a 'security blanket' that must cover the whole of Estonia, both larger cities and smaller villages," the new culture minister said last week.

Anneli Ott announced her resignation last Tuesday after facing pressure from the culture sector about inactivity as a minister and her stance on vaccinations. After the most recent coronavirus restrictions came into force, the culture minister was essentially barred from participating in most of the cultural events under her ministerial portfolio.

The official reason given in her resignation speech was a difference of opinion with the governmental line on the handling of the coronavirus crisis as it relates to the culture sector, including the requirement to prove vaccination to enter events.

President Alar Karis appointed Terik last week.

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