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Estonian, Latvian, and Polish Heads of State: the European Union must be decisive in its protection of the Community’s values

28.08.2008

Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Latvian President Valdis Zatlers, and Polish President Lech Kaczynski gathered at a working meeting in Tallinn today to discuss the situation that has developed after the Georgian crisis.

The Heads of State of the three European Union member states found that the six-point peace plan proposed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, as the current European Union chairman, which Russia and Georgia have also agreed to, is being violated by the continued presence of the Russian troops on Georgian territory and Russia must count on serious consequences.

“We cannot be silently stand by as post-Cold-War Europe’s security architecture is attacked,” Estonian Head of State Toomas Hendrik Ilves said.

The Estonian, Latvian and Polish Presidents stressed that the European Union must be decisive in its protection of the Community’s values.

According to the Heads of State, Georgia requires Europe’s support in order to recover from the destruction of the war, which in the short term means extensive humanitarian aid for relieving the problems of war refuges and people who have lost their homes.

The three Presidents consider it important that international observers be sent to Georgia to help provide an objective overview of the situation on the ground and to help prevent the conflict from being reignited.

The Estonian, Latvian and Polish Heads of State declared that Russia’s decision to recognize the independence of the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which are located on Georgian territory, is illegal and fuels tensions.

Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus sent his special envoy Valteris Baliukonis to the meeting.

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