The ministers discussed the situation in the Middle East and cooperation between Estonia and Palestine.

Tsahkna reiterated criticism of Israel's blocking of humanitarian aid to people in Gaza, while also showing support for a two-state solution. 

"Humanitarian aid must reach those in need in Gaza, and we strongly condemn the blocking and restricting of aid delivery," he said in a post to social media.

Last week, Estonia allocated € 50,000 divided equally between the UN Population Fund and the Occupied Palestinian Territory Humanitarian Fund.  

There are 2.2 million people in need of humanitarian assistance in Gaza. The situation in Gaza is steadily deteriorating as Israel has effectively suspended humanitarian access since March 2.

I met with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Palestinian National Authority Varsen Ohannes Vartan Aghabekian today in Tallinn.

Estonia remains committed to a two-state solution for lasting peace in the Middle East.

Humanitarian aid must reach those in… pic.twitter.com/gz58sL0pmu

— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) June 10, 2025

Estonia condemns West Bank expansion

The ministers also spoke about violence by Israeli settlers, which aims, above all, to obstruct the economic activities of Palestinians and take over their lands, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement after the meeting.

"Estonia condemns the expansion of settlements created in breach of international law on the West Bank," he said, highlighting that the EU has imposed restrictive measures on violent settlers.

"Estonia supports these measures and also supports the addition of new individuals to the sanctioned list if sufficient evidence is available," he said in the statement

Although Estonia condemned the Hamas terrorist attack against Israel on October 7, 2023 and has called for the release of Israeli hostages, Tsahkna criticized Israel's attacks on civilians.

"When fighting terrorist organizations, attacks on the civilian population must be avoided at all costs," the Estonian minister said. 

Estonia backs two-state solution

Tsahkna asked Aghabekian about the options the Palestinian Authority sees for peace in Gaza and the two-state solution.

He said he hoped that diplomatic efforts would continue and lead to an end to the war in Gaza.

"We have condemned the terrorist attacks against Israel and called for the release of hostages," Tsahkna said. "However, when fighting terrorist organisations, attacks on the civilian population must be avoided at all costs and international humanitarian law must be respected." 

The minister emphasized that Estonia believes the two-state solution is necessary to achieve lasting peace in the Middle East.

Estonia does not recognize Palestinian statehood, but last year it was among 142 UN member states to urge the UN Security Council to grant Palestine full UN membership status.

Since 2023, Estonia has allocated a total of € 330,000 for humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Strip through six different organizations.

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