In this case, only the party and its members were cheated and so we could say that there were no other victims.

The scandal within the Reform Party will give others the opportunity to undermine the trustworthiness of our election system in general and will damage Estonia's reputation.

I would like to emphasise that internal elections within a party and Estonia's e-elections are, both substantially and technically, two completely different and separate things. We must make this distinction.

If we cheat our own and no longer care for Estonia's credibility, we must ask: how would we do by others and our enemies?

The answer is the following: abuse public resources, acquire illegal support, politicise state and local government systems, drive tanks over those who have an opinion that is different from ours, ridicule, marginalise etc., etc.

Of course, each and every party will now say that none of this is their problem. Really? Seriously?

The "winning at all costs" mentality spawns young people with perverse minds, who are ready to cheat to demonstrate their worth as development managers. This is because capable developers may find themselves in ministries after the next elections and may be given a good ranking in the election list in the next stage. Then the next generation will be cheating.

Three years ago Iceland's Eyjafjallajökul ash cloud halted air traffic over Europe, which meant that we had to return from our visit to Turkey, from Istanbul to Tallinn, by bus and car. After three days we reached the bright lights of Vilnius. Although 600 kilometres remained before we would reach Estonia, I felt as if I were already home.

Today is the day we – brothers and sisters, fathers and husbands – declare our love and gratitude for you!

As the President of Estonia, and the Supreme Commander of the National Defence Forces, but also simply as an Estonian citizen, it is important to me to meet the members of our Defence Forces before they leave for their mission in Afghanistan.

My thanks and respect belong to you and your loved ones. I value and appreciate your decision – to participate as professional soldiers in a NATO-led operation in Afghanistan. To be brave, resolute, daring, loyal, and caring. There isn't the least reason to doubt that your pre-mission training has been intensive, professional, and successful. That your gear and weaponry are the best our Defence Forces can provide specifically for the Afghan mission. For two-thirds of you this is your first ever mission abroad. For this reason, I hope that in the past couple of months you have understood how important it is to trust your more seasoned brothers-in-arms, and to learn from their experience.

Compared to previous Estonian infantry companies, your task in Afghanistan is different. You will not be permanently stationed in patrol bases and check-points, but instead you will probably spend most of your time in Camp Bastion as a rapid response unit on constant alert.

For me the opportunity and right of the President to confer decorations represents a means to confirm the values for which Estonia stands, to demonstrate what Estonia considers to be important and what Estonia is grateful for. The Order of the Cross of the Eagle, First Class represents our highest recognition of your work both for my country as well as maintaining a robust defence of the democratic alliance we belong to. We are grateful for your outstanding leadership both as the Commander of the US European Command and as the Supreme Allied Commander Europe. We admire your crucial role in strengthening the NATO Alliance to meet the challenges of the modern security environment, to include enhancing our collective capabilities and partnerships. Not the least of which, from our point of view, is your critical role in developing defence plans for the Baltic countries and Poland. This Cross of the Eagle is a sign of our thanks for your support to Estonia and the principles that Estonia holds dear.

I stand here today to keep the promise I made publicly last year on November 21st. I made this promise at the meeting in Kadriorg's Ice Cellar where representatives of the voluntary sector, politicians from parliamentary parties and experts of constitutional law agreed to initiate what later became known as the Rahvakogu or Popular Assembly. The aim of this joint initiative was to gather ideas on how to enliven political competition, strengthen the voters' voice, enable participation in politics in-between elections, prevent compulsory party membership, and make the financing of political parties more honest.

The creative unions plenum 25 years ago was, as I have described, the event that made me realise that the 35 years of my life I had lived until then were truly over. To be more precise, it was the arrival of the April 7 issue of the cultural newspaper Sirp ja Vasar in Munich 11 days later. I read it and gasped – I couldn't believe what I saw there. I went home and told my wife – pushing, in a pram, my 6-month-old son, who has now been living here for quite a few years – that I didn't know when exactly, but Estonia would be free and I would move there.

I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO VENTURE BEYOND.
What does this mean for me?
This is my soul's one demand of life,
Bringing it closer to me.

Approximately three generations of Estonian people embraced these words by Juhan Viiding.

Today, on the 95th anniversary of Estonia, the thought of independence has, once again, become natural. It neither requires interpretation nor explanation because it is a basic truth.