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Ministry Presses Russian Ambassador for Assurances on Land Ownership
Foreign Ministry officials met Russian Ambassador Yuri Merzlyakov to receive further explanations regarding the Russian President Dmitri Medvedev's ukase on land ownership in border regions.
Merzlyakov said Medvedev's action did not alter the legal status of foreign nationals, including Estonians, compared to their status after the new Russian land code came into effect in 2001.
Medvedev's January 9 order established a list of administrative units with special rules where foreign citizens and companies and stateless persons are not allowed to own land. It includes the Pechory (Petseri) region in Pskov Oblast, which borders on Estonia
The order does not deal with the status of property located in the special areas. Such property remains in the purview of Russian civil law and inheritance legislation. Neither does the order have retroactive force regarding to land already owned.