Mikser: Ministry informed Foreign Affairs Committee of migration pact
In response to criticism by Marko Mihkelson (Reform), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Riigikogu, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser (SDE) said that the ministry had previously already introduced the UN migration pact to the committee.
"If the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee feels as though he has been left out of the discussion thus far, it is likely due to the fact that the discussion, which took place in the committee as early as on 13 March, was not led by him, but rather by Deputy Chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee Keit Pentus-Rosimannus (Reform), who, by the way, as is evident from the minutes [of the meeting], commended the ministry for sharing that information," Mikser wrote on Facebook on Friday.
"Regarding whether the Riigikogu committee has been included ad whether the framework will be signed, one might want to rely on a more trustworthy source than an opinion piece in a newspaper," he added.
Mikser wrote that he had previously stressed and would continue stressing that the framework is a non-binding agreement.
"As this is a non-binding document, there will be no signing in Marrakech," he explained "Rather, heads of state and government leaders will convene to give speeches expressing their support for the objectives of the pact. Approval at the UN General Assembly at the start of next year will presumably also be carried out without a vote. Some states critical of the accord withdrew from the whole process at the very beginning."
Ligi: President hasn't received public's permission
Jürgen Ligi, a member of the Reform Party alongside Mihkelson and Pentus-Rosimannus, likewise criticised the migration pact on Friday.
"I don't want to hear [President Kaljulaid] talk about sex with a robot," Ligi wrote on Facebook, referring to a speech President Kersti Kaljulaid gave at an e-state governance conference on Thursday. "I want to hear her say why she went to Africa to conclude an agreement on Estonia having to take a positive attitude on whatever kind of migration. We have had to put up with such a thing without any agreement for 50 years, and we know precisely what impact it had on the preservation of the Estonian nation, language, culture and way of life."
Global migration is also a deadly threat to the liberal values of the free world, beginning with the freedoms of speech and the media, he added.
"This has not been discussed with the Riigikogu and the public, or permission received for it," Ligi wrote. "It will, however, directly restrict the sovereignty of Estonia to do things as it wants in one's own country." He added that the text of the UN migration accord is not available.
"Migration has shaken up all of Europe, which is why it is extremely important to consider the topic in depth," he continued. "Only after hearing the arguments and this debate is it possible to decide whether Estonia will join the pact or not."
According to Mihkelson, Estonia is a parliamentary state, and this debate needs to be had, even if at the very last minute.
The full text of the migration pact is available online here (link to PDF).
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Editor: Aili Vahtla