Speech by the President of Estonia, Lennart Meri, on 48th Session of the UN General Assembly on September 30, 1993 (1993)

General view of the UN assembly hall. The President of the Republic of Estonia is called to hold a speech. President Lennart Meri focuses on three important issues in his speech. Negotiations about the withdrawal of foreign troops from Estonia are being impeded by Russian authorities that Russia lacks space for accommodating the troops. Also, there is a cynical statement by Russia about the necessity of the presence of foreign troops in the Baltic states in order to protect the human rights of local Russian population. There is a general call for implementing preventive diplomacy, peace efforts and peace guarding in case of conflicts. The third issue is securing democracy and free market economy in Estonia. At the end of his speech, Lennart Meri emphasizes the subject of reforming UN - small countries have the responsibility to redefine the world order.