Russian Interest in Border Treaty Low, Says ERR's Man in Moscow
Although most Estonian politicians have weighed in on the new border treaty, the topic has received little coverage in Russia, said Anton Aleksejev, ERR's correspondent.
Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet's visit is more a chance to quiz him on visa freedom between the EU and Russia, rather than on the Treaty of Tartu or territorial developments, Aleksejev said on Monday.
“The gesture by both sides shows that there is some interest (in bilateral relations), as it sometimes seems that Russia has no interest towards Estonia at all,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor in chief of Russia in Global Affairs.
The head of the Duma's Foreign Affairs Committee, Alexei Puskov, said the ratification could give a boost to relations between the two nations, including the formation of an economic relations committee between Russia and Estonia. Puskov said such a move will increase trade, which in turn could have an effect on political relations.
Puskov said the Duma (the Russian Parliament), is more than likely to ratify the document, saying he can not recall the last time a government-approved international agreement was rejected.
He said that the Duma could wait until the Estonian Parliament has ratified the treaty to rule out the repeat of 2005, when the Estonian Parliament approved the document, but cited the Treaty of Tartu in the law, which was unacceptable to Russian authorities.
It is common practice for international agreements to be ratified at the same time by parliaments, Puskov said, adding that he hopes that scenario will play out this time.