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President Ilves Addresses UN General Assembly
25.09.2010
In his address to the UN General Assembly in New York, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves emphasised Estonia’s role in rebuilding Afghanistan, Estonia’s unconditional support to the complete independence and territorial integrity of Georgia and called upon the countries of the world to join forces in the fight against cyber terrorism.
According to the President, Estonia sees its direct participation in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals, above all, in the contribution to humanitarian operations ranging from Afghanistan to Haiti and in counselling emerging economies in the application of information technology solutions increasing the effectiveness of the state.
"For my country, Estonia, the development of ICT has been a crucial engine of economic development and modernisation throughout the last 20 years. This is why today our experts advise governments on ICT solutions in many parts of the world,” said President Ilves in his speech.
The Estonian head of state called upon the countries of the world to unconditionally respect human rights, including the freedom of speech and self-expression and to respect the rules of international law that preclude the jeopardising of the independence of any state by a threat to use force or by using force.
According to President Ilves, “Estonia reiterates its firm support for the sovereignty, territorial integrity, security and stability of Georgia. Humanitarian issues, in particular ensuring the safe and dignified return of refugees and IDPs, and wider access to the conflict zone, especially for humanitarian workers and international observers, need to be seriously addressed now.
Furthermore, the free movement of people living within the internationally recognised borders of Georgia must be ensured,” said the Estonian head of state in his address at the UN General Assembly. “Without justice, efforts to ensure sustainable peace might easily be wiped out.”
President Ilves drew the world’s attention to the fact that confronting the security challenges of the 21st century depends on successful cooperation among all states, international and regional organisations.
“Facing down cyber threats is no exception. Estonia urges broad cross-border and cross-sector capacity-building in protecting critical information infrastructures," said President Ilves.
“The necessity of closer cooperation among states, between the private sector and civil society, is critical when we realise that in case of a cyber attack, all traditional security measures may be rendered useless. I can assure you that all-encompassing preparedness will pay off when a real crisis strikes,” the Estonian head of state added.
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