TALLINN - The President of the
European Parliament
Hans-Gert Poettering gave
tacit support to Estonia's schoolbased
language reforms during
an official visit from Aug. 14 - 17.
Poettering, a German conservative,
veered off the normal diplomatic
path by visiting the eastern
border city of Narva to talk with
residents about language concerns.
While he acknowledged the
often-leveled claims of discrimination
against Russian speaking residents,
Poettering said wider study
of the Estonian language was the
only way forward.
He praised the government's
school reforms, which will see one
extra class delivered in Estonian at
Russian-speaking schools from
Sept. 1. Poettering said the program
was the key to better integration.
"It will then be possible to
move on. It is important that the
two communities should communicate
with each other," he said,
adding that such communication
was only possible through the
broader study of the Estonian language.
He also called for Russia to
deal with its own history, and to
adopt a better understanding of
Estonia's misery under Soviet rule.
"Life under the communist dictatorship
has left a very strong
mark on Estonians. It is connected
with liberty. That understanding, I
think, is not very widespread in
Russia," he said.
When meeting with Russian
community groups and public figures
in Narva, Poettering said it
appeared most residents of the border
city considered themselves
Estonian, no matter what language
they spoke.
His working visit also included
meetings with President Toomas
Hendrik Ilves, whom he invited to
address the European Parliament,
and Prime Minister Andrus Ansip,
who demonstrated Estonia's highly
praised e-government cabinet
room.
Poettering, who comes from a
legal background, was elected president
of the European Parliament
in January this year.
