The president told ERR his recent criticisms of the foreign ministry in an interview given to regional daily Lääne Elu last week and which was published Thursday derive from a genuine concern over limited resources, adding he has been keeping open lines of communication with Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna (Eesti 200). He also said the resources issue had been flagged to him by foreign ministry personnel themselves.

In the interview, the president said the ministry lacks human resources, skills, and in some cases even knowledge, adding that Estonia's foreign policy is too narrowly focused both in time frames and in scope.

The remarks sparked pushback from some coalition politicians; Riigikogu Foreign Affairs Committee chair Marko Mihkelson said that the president's comments were an "insult" to diplomats and foreign ministry employees.

The president noted Friday that he was talking from a perspective of foreign ministry resources, saying these were currently inadequate, and not criticizing the existing diplomatic corps and other related personnel. Furthermore, foreign ministry employees themselves had told Karis this, he said.

"If you read this (interview given to Lääne Elu – ed.) carefully, the point was more a concern that there are not enough people there. I was not talking about the diplomats and officials currently working at the ministry. Naturally, every institution has its very good employees and less good ones. But the issue lies elsewhere. And the information, the knowledge I reflected, derives from that same building. Those same diplomats tell me that there is not enough capacity, not enough people, and embassies are small," Karis said on Friday.

"Plus, if you take a look, today we have two continents — Africa and South America — where we still do not have any embassy whatsoever. I know that will change. But think about it — there are one and a half billion people [living on those two continents]. That means there must be certain skills to operate in that part of the world. So this is driven by concern, not by criticism of the people currently working in embassies," the head of state went on.

The president reiterated his line that he was not criticizing anyone in their current role. "I am not directly pointing fingers at ministers, but I want to talk about the issue and the problem. Regardless of who is behind it or who can change it. Ministers come and go. The same applies, of course, to presidents.

"It is also a sign of strength if we can take criticism calmly and think about whether we can improve something. In this case, it would have been a very good thing if the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had quickly picked up on the matter — noting that even the president pointed out a lack of resources, that there are too few funds, too few people, so that perhaps something should be done..." the president went on.

Karis also clarified remarks given in the Lääne Elu interview where he said he felt obliged to apologize to foreign leaders due to Estonia's decisions. "That statement was more of a reaction to our parliamentary speaker (Lauri Hussar – ed.) saying that he has to apologize on my behalf. Then I said that this is a part of our job. I too have had to apologize, especially perhaps when the war in Ukraine began, when we pointed fingers quite sharply at various nations for not acting quickly enough. That is where the statement originated. But I can say right away — this was fewer than ten times [that an apology was felt needed], though more than once. Fortunately, fewer than ten."

The head of state said he could not quite put his finger on when, how, or why the rift between Kadriorg, seat of the president, and Islandi väljak, where the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located.

"From the moment I took office, I tried to reduce any points of conflict. But in reality, with all presidents there has been some friction between Kadriorg and Islandi väljak, and vice versa. Much of it is also related to the role the president plays, and whether it is sufficient for someone who may want to have more influence. But today it is set up so that the European Council and NATO fall under the prime minister's area of competence, while the UN and more forward-looking matters fall to the president," Karis said.

When Kristen Michal became prime minister in July 2024, Karis, who was elected president in August 2021, said he proposed the head of state taking on a role in regard to NATO.

As for talking foreign policy issues both with Michal and with Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna, Karis also identified something of a political hot potato.

"It takes two to tango. One side's desire is not enough. Nowadays we are saying we need a president who is an expert in foreign policy. But foreign policy is but one aspect of the president's duties. People want two things: an expert in Kadriorg, but at the same time someone who repeats the Islandi väljak line. If that expert ends up in Kadriorg, the conflict can get substantial — the friction rises. So it is better to maintain a common line, though that common line does not have to be as narrow as we are seeing today. Instead, a shared understanding of what foreign policy is, and within those boundaries one must — and should — operate, if we want results," Karis went on.

As for the interface between foreign policy and defense, Karis said he has scope to discuss various topics with the foreign minister within his own National Defense Council, which, for instance, met on Thursday this week.

"We do discuss matters there. I have no reason to keep my fist in my pocket. I understand that there is intense political competition — some are fighting for survival, others for a better position in parliament. That is understandable, but I will say again that one must remain polite, and there can never be too much communication," Karis continued.

The president also said Estonian foreign policy discourse was too inward-looking in focusing mainly on issues directly impacting the region and Europe.

"But the world is much larger, and we see ourselves how everything has expanded. That means the needed competence must be there," he added.

He also noted differences in cultural norms. "A very simple example: We have an embassy in Abu Dhabi. It is situated in an apartment. That may be all well and good in Scandinavia, but in that region, if you want to be taken seriously and conduct diplomacy, you need a proper residence where you can receive the appropriate people."

As to whether the episode will impact any potential bid for re-election at the upcoming presidential elections in the fall, Karis said that this was not uppermost in his mind. "I never shape my statements based on whether I want to or can be re-elected. A person must remain themselves and be able to speak, in a relatively polite way, even about difficult matters," he said.

As to any potential decision on running again, Karis remained tight-lipped, noting that the electoral process is set to start in early September, with the deadline for candidate nomination being two months before that, i.e. early July.
"So you can work out yourselves when the right time might be to nominate candidates and for me to state my position," he added.

Foreign Minister apologizes to diplomats over Karis remarks

Meanwhile, Tsahkna, on an official visit to Armenia late this week, sent a letter to employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which ERR has seen, apologizing to them for Karis' remarks in the Lääne Elu piece.

"I am writing to you from Armenia, as Estonia's foreign service and diplomats have been drawn into domestic political struggle. To my recollection, and for the first time, Estonia's previously consensus-based security and foreign policy has been drawn into an election campaign, and as a politician I am embarrassed by this. I apologize to you," he wrote.

"Estonian diplomats have been devoted to safeguarding Estonia's freedom and security; you do this every day, and we hold a long-term vision for defending freedom," Tsahkna went on.

The minister expressed gratitude for this dedication and called for not being distracted "by domestic political battles."

"After the restoration of independence, we agreed on two principles – that this time we will resist the aggressor at any cost, and that we will never again stand alone. Let us stand shoulder to shoulder and be guided by these principles," Tsahkna added.

Opposition: Coalition dragged president into campaigning

An additional dimension is that March 2027 sees Riigikogu elections, and some opposition members have said the Reform-Eesti 200 coalition has hijacked Karis for these electoral purposes, on top of the presidential election in the autumn.

Member of the Riigikogu National Defense Committee Raimond Kaljulaid (SDE) said the recent furor was representatives of the governing parties, who have transformed Karis' remarks into a campaigning issue.

"Most unfortunately, this has been treated either in the context of presidential elections or the upcoming Riigikogu elections. Representatives of the governing parties immediately turned it into a matter of party politics, but what I have not been hearing is any substantive response. If the president's claim is not true in the view of the foreign minister or the prime minister, then they could explain what the longer-term perspective actually is," Kaljulaid told "Aktuaalne kaamera" Friday.

Kaljulaid and Isamaa chair Urmas Reinsalu had on Thursday taken a more conciliatory stance on Karis' comments than Mihkelson had, calling them serious and appropriate feedback for the ministry.

Center Party chair Mihhail Kõlvart said Friday he, too, does not believe Karis' remarks were a calculated electoral move, but nonetheless handed the Reform Party a campaigning tool for both elections.

"In reality, the campaign being waged against Alar Karis has nothing to do with foreign affairs. It is a cynical domestic political campaign, driven by the fact that coalition parties do not actually want to support him in the presidential elections. They kicked off their own campaign by trying to devalue a popular president," Kõlvart said.

Mihkelson had on Thursday nonetheless not ruled out the Reform Party supporting Karis in the forthcoming presidential election.

Relations between the government and the president had been publicly tense since the president's state visit to Kazakhstan late last year where, following the ambassador's recommendation, he refrained from publicly expressing messages of support for Ukraine. That ambassador, Jaap Ora, tendered his resignation a few days later.

Karis also faced criticism from Tsahkna and Michal over alleged deviations from Estonia's foreign policy line in remarks made in February to the foreign media about Ukraine, and in suggesting EU participation in U.S.-Ukraine-Russia peace talks. He also faced pushback over calls for support to Hungary in exiting its energy deal with Russia.

A two-thirds majority at the 101-seat Riigikogu is required to elect a head of state. Karis reached this majority in the second ballot held in 2021.

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