President dismisses foreign minister

TALLINN, Estonia, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Estonia's President Arnold Ruutel Thursday dismissed Foreign Minister Kristiina Ojuland after secret files disappeared from her ministry, the BBC reports.

The missing files mostly related to Estonia's position at various summits of the European Union, the report said.

But the 38-year-old dismissed minister said most of the files had gone missing before she took office.

The sacking could lead to the collapse of the Baltic nation's center-right coalition government, experts told the BBC.

Ojuland's Reform Party, one among a three-party coalition, has accused Prime Minister Juhan Parts of sparking a political crisis by calling for her dismissal.

If the party pulls out of the coalition, the government would be left in a minority with just 41 seats in the 101-seat parliament.

"Foreign policy is based on trust, and Kristiina Ojuland has lost it," Parts said.