A picture taken at the airport and published by Postimees appeared to show Rõivas being escorted out by the Finnish police.
Liisa Toots, director of the media relations bureau at the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told POLITICO that Rõivas was traveling as part of a business delegation, but that the ministry was not responsible for his movements, as “members of the business delegation are in charge of making their travel arrangements.”
Toots confirmed that the ministry was aware of the incident, however, she said that the exact reason for Rõivas’ removal from the plane remains unclear. “That’s what we’re asking of those involved in the case,” she added to Postimees.
Rõivas was Estonian prime minister from March 2014 to November 2016 and is now chairman of the supervisory board of Auve Tech, an Estonian company which specializes in autonomous vehicles.
Rõivas did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment.
