IRL wants Treaty of Tartu declaration with border treaty
IRL Chairman Margus Tsahkna said the government must add a political declaration to the ratification of the Estonian-Russian border treaty, one that would point to the validity of the 1920 Treaty of Tartu.
“The Parliament has the opportunity to make a similar declaration. We are not going to change the border treaty as it is. The treaty clearly states it is just a treaty to mark a certain border,” Tsahkna said.
He said the treaty has importance in international law, adding that Estonia should repeat that the treaty does not annul the principles of the Treaty of Tartu, especially when it comes to the continuity and independence of the Estonian republic.
The last time the two nations were close to ratifying a border treaty, Estonia added a political dimension to it by mentioning the Treaty of Tartu, leading to Russia pulling out. Tsahkna said IRL's idea is different as the last time the treaty text itself was changed.
Estonia and Russia agreed on a border treaty in 2005, only for Estonia to add a clause on the Treaty of Tartu, which was signed between the two nations in 1920 to end Estonia's War of Independence. That treaty also established the border between the two nations.
Russia pulled out then and the treaty was again signed in 2014, but must be ratified by both parliaments before entering force.
The Estonian Government approved the treaty today and sent it to the Parliament for ratification.
Editor: J.M. Laats