Mihkelson: Estonia in no hurry to finalize border treaty
Recent comments by Aleksey Pushkov, the head of Russian Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, show the relationship between the West and Russia is at a low point, says Pushkov's Estonian counterpart Marko Mihkelson.
Pushkov said at a press conference that Russia is unlikely to ratify the Estonian-Russian border treaty due to the current politician environment, and Estonia itself has done much to halt the ratification process.
“The border treaty is ratified when the decision is made by the parliaments of both Estonia and Russia. There is no point in speculating when it will happen,” Mihkelson said.
He said that it was Pushkov who first proposed the idea to ratify the treaty simultaneously by both parliaments, adding that he has now gone back on his words.
Mihkelson said the Estonian Parliament will make its decision, once Russia has begun the ratification process, and Estonia is not in a hurry.
The then Foreign Minister Urmas Paet and Russian FM Sergey Lavrov signed the treaty in February, but it has to be ratified by both parliaments.