ISS Deputy Head: Economic Relations With Russia Come With Additional Dangers
Deputy head of the Internal Security Service (ISS) Eerik Heldna said that in dealing with Russia, it is impossible to distinguish between state powers, secret services and organized crime.
“The biggest problem we, as a security service see with our eastern neighbor is that not one sector which is important to our transit sector, infrastructure and energy above all, have been built up according to free market rules,” said Heldna on Wednesday.
He said many people behind those Russian companies (trading with Estonia) are connected to security organizations and organized crime. “It is a symbiosis. They use each other for protecting their interests,” Heldna said.
The biggest danger is the uncertainty behind the business partner's motivation, he said, adding that it is never clear if any deal is just economic or are there more sinister reasons that will come back to bite you.
Heldna said not all economic relations with Russia are bad or dangerous, and Estonia's geographic location must be used to the nation's advantage, but that uncertainty is an additional factor.