President: I can no longer tolerate excessive demands made by fools
President Alar Karis on Wednesday posted a cryptic Facebook message saying he can no longer "stand excessive demands from fools," the day after Estonia's ambassador to Kazakhstan stepped down following a state visit.
"I've suddenly become an adult," Karise wrote on his personal social media profile, not his official presidential account.
"I can't stand certain things anymore. Not because I'm arrogant, but simply because I've reached a point in my life where I don't want to waste any more time on what irritates or hurts me," the post continues, quoting the words of Portuguese writer José Micard Teixeira, newspaper Postimees reported.
"I can no longer tolerate the excessive demands made by fools. The desire to please those who do not like me is gone. And there is no reason to smile at those who do not wish to smile at me."
Presidential communications adviser Hannes Hamburg confirmed to ERR that the post was written by the president himself on his personal account, not on the official presidential social media account.
The office declined to clarify whom the president was referring to when he mentioned "fools."
The comment comes a day after the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that Estonia's ambassador to Kazakhstan, Jaap Ora, would resign following Karis' visit in November.
As reported by Eesti Ekspress, the initial version of Karis's speech placed significant emphasis on the war in Ukraine. After a tense dinner and citing concerns and signals voiced by the Kazakh side, Karis rewrote the speech text — on Ora's recommendation — making it more vague and abstract.
According to politicians who spoke with ERR, the president's public statement was specifically addressing the fallout from the visit to Kazakhstan.
The president's office confirmed the president is in good health. On Wednesday evening, members of the government and their spouses will attend a pre-Christmas gathering at Kadriorg at the invitation of the president.
Karis has recently been in the media due to his decision not to promulgate laws concerning the Employment Contracts Act and language requirements for conscripts.
He has all but ruled out running for a second presidential term when the election takes place next year. On November 7, Karis told Vikerraadio: "What's going to happen is hard to say. What I can say is that it would take a small miracle to convince me to run."
Karis has been serving as president of Estonia since October 11, 2021.
--
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!
Editor: Urmet Kook, Helen Wright
