Main image: The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna. Author: Ken Mürk/ERR
Concrete measures must be urgently taken to suspend Hungary's voting rights in the European Union, as Budapest is systematically acting against the common security interests of Europe, stated Estonia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Margus Tsahkna, according to ERR.
The article mentions that despite Hungary's objections, the EU decided to extend personal sanctions against approximately 2,400 individuals and organizations undermining Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence.
The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that, under pressure from Hungary, the names of three oligarchs directly supporting Russian aggression and having close ties with Vladimir Putin were removed from the sanctions list.
"Hungary, for political reasons, conditioned the continuation of sanctions on the removal from the list of Russian businessmen Vyacheslav Kantor, Mikhail Degtyarev, and Gulbahor Ismailova," Tsahkna said.
According to the minister, Estonia supports the continuation of sanctions, and there are no grounds for easing them regarding Russia and those connected to it. He emphasized that Russia has not abandoned its goals to subjugate Ukraine and reshape the European security architecture.
"Hungary is systematically acting against the common security interests of Europe, and therefore we must urgently take concrete steps to initiate proceedings under Article 7 of the EU Treaty, which means suspending Hungary's voting rights," the Estonian Foreign Minister stated.
Article 7 of the EU Treaty provides for the possibility of suspending the rights of an EU member state (such as the right to vote in the EU Council) in the case of a serious and systematic violation of the principles on which the Union is founded.
Tsahkna also announced that he had decided to apply state financial sanctions against Kantor, Degtyarev, and Ismailova.
