ForMin summons Russian ambassador over Kremlin's comments re Estonian PM

• Published date: 17 May 2022
• Publication title: LETA

The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned the Russian ambassador on Tuesday to condemn a statement made by Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokesperson Maria Zakharova on social media, which the ministry deemed unprofessional and rude and in which Zakharova personally attacked Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas.

Deputy secretary general Rein Tammsaar who met with the ambassador did not consider it necessary to comment on the contents of the post but called on representatives of Russia to refrain from unprofessional personal attacks on Estonian politicians, remain polite, gain some more in-depth knowledge of history and immediately end its aggression against Ukraine.

The Estonian prime minister at the international Lennart Meri Conference recently held in Tallinn urged states not to contact Russian President Vladimir Putin due to the latter being a war criminal.

Zakharova subsequently published a post on Telegram in which she said that even autocratic sultans do not have such a hereditary career as Kallas.

"Reading the news -- Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas urges Western leaders to stop calling President Vladimir Putin. I took an interest in who this person is who is giving such practical advice to Western leaders," she wrote. "Turns out that not a single autocratic sultan has such a hereditary career [as Kallas]."

Zakharova highlighted that Kaja Kallas is the prime minister of Estonia, just like her father Siim Kallas was the prime minister from 2002 to 2003. Kaja Kallas is also the leader of the Reform Party, like his father was from...