Estonia has established diplomatic relations with the newly-independent Montenegro 's the first country to do so since the Balkan nation seceded from its union with Serbia. A joint declaration on the formal establishment of ties was signed in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica by Karin Jaani, director general of the Estonian Foreign Ministry's political department, and Montenegro's Foreign Minister Miodrag Vlahovic. Estonia has taken a historic step, Vlahovic said after the ceremony. "We shall always remember this and appreciate the will of the Estonian government," he added.
The Foundation of the Integration of Non-Estonians is launching a free nationwide preparation course for the citizenship exam, with up to 10,000 applicants registered already. The course will include nearly 80 professional instructors, with curriculum and study aids prepared by the Jaan Tonisson Institute. The course is part of a project commissioned by the State Chancellery supporting the integration of stateless persons. The program aims to increase citizenship among persons whose nationality is currently undefined, offering them assistance in preparing for the Constitution exam.
Finnish customs guards detained seven members of an Estonian-Russian drug group set on smuggling amphetamine into the country, the Finnish news agency STT reported. Police had been investigating the case for months, during which time 11 kilos of amphetamine and more than 1,000 Subutex tablets were seized. The first confiscation took place when nearly three kilos of amphetamine was found stashed in the spare tires of two cars. The largest haul, more than five kilos of amphetamine, was recovered in Helsinki from an Estonian man who smuggled the narcotic in from Sweden.
