Estonian, Russian delegations discuss improving relations

2012-07-11
From wire reports

REGULAR REPORTS: Marko Mihkelson suggests that Estonia should have a road map for better relations with its eastern neighbor.

TALLINN - Estonian Riigikogu Foreign Committee Chairman Marko Mihkelson said that the Estonian Riigikogu and Russian Federation Council foreign committees’ members supported the idea of compiling an Estonian-Russian future report at their meeting that started on July 5 in Puhajarve, south Estonia, reports Postimees Online. Mihkelson said that while Estonia has a report for future cooperation with Finland and Latvia, the committees stated that Estonia and Russia should also compile such a document.

He said that Anvar Samost, the executive editor-in-chief of Postimees who was one of the authors of the Estonian-Latvian cooperation report, could be the Estonian report compiler.
Mihkelson said that the MPs also confirmed the wish to start having regular meetings like they did from 2003-2006, when they met once a year. The MPs think that other parliament committees could also hold common discussions.
At a meeting between Estonian and Russian parliamentary delegations, the Chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee Mikhail Margelov stated that resolving the border treaty dispute between the two countries should be the first order of priority for the groups, reports ERR.
According to Margelov, this would enable Russia to settle its border issues with the EU and to increase the volume of its cross-border commerce.

Though on a practical level the border functions relatively well, the process of signing an international border treaty between the countries has been on ice since 2005 when Russia backed out of ratifying the accord.
Mihkelson also suggested that Estonia should have a road map for improving its relations with Russia.