This week, on 24–25 September, a meeting of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI) took place in Tallinn, chaired by Kerli Veski, Undersecretary for
Legal and Consular Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting, which takes place twice a year, discusses various topical and recurring issues of public international law.
This meeting focused on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The discussions emphasised the importance of holding Russia’s political and military leadership accountable for committing the crime of aggression. Russia must also compensate for all damage caused by its war of aggression. To achieve both objectives, the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine must be launched under the auspices of the Council of Europe as soon as possible, and work on establishing the International Claims Commission for Ukraine must move forward.
“It is unthinkable that Russia’s leadership should escape accountability for launching its unlawful aggression against Ukraine or avoid compensating Ukraine and the Ukrainian people for the damage caused,” Undersecretary Veski said. “The Council of Europe and its member states must do everything in their power to ensure that both the Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine and compensation for the damage caused by Russia become a reality.”
Ahead of the official part of the meeting, participants visited Narva, where Director of Narva Museum Maria Smorževskihh-Smirnova gave an overview of how Russia uses historical narratives to justify its imperialist policies and seeks to conduct influence activities in Narva, which are actively resisted. Lauri Mälksoo, Professor of International Law at the University of Tartu, explained how Russia and the Soviet Union have approached international law and used it to pursue their imperialist ambitions.
For the past two years, Kerli Veski, Undersecretary for Legal and Consular Affairs at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, has served as Chair of the Committee of Legal Advisers on Public International Law (CAHDI). Although the committee’s meetings are usually held in Strasbourg, by tradition the final meeting of a chairmanship is held in the chair’s country.
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