Toom said it is necessary to move the dispute to the legal field.

"This will require adequate resources, especially in the light of the fact that the State has already hired a lawyer. That's why we also negotiated and Law Firm Sirel & Partners' sworn attorneys Steven-Hristo Evestus and Artur Knjazev will now deal with MPEÕK," she wrote on her website.

"In our media, there is a debate about the Estonian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, with mentions of Patriarch Kirill, Putin and war. But then we do not talk about canonical things because it is too complicated. But it seems to me that the Ministry of the Interior realizes that it has backed itself into a corner. That is why it has hired an expensive law firm and is preparing for the negotiations," she continued.

The state has hired law firm Ellex Raidla to advise the Ministry of Interior.

Evestus said the first task it to highlight that members of MPEÕK and Pühtitsa Convent, also known as Kuremäe Convent, have not expressed support for Russia's military activities or dislike for the constitutional order of the Republic of Estonia.

"For this reason, it is particularly important that freedom of religion and the rights, freedoms and activities of members of congregations and monasteries are not arbitrarily or unintentionally restricted or denigrated. We are open to finding solutions for continued peaceful coexistence," he said.

Knjazev added that neither MPEÕK nor Pühtitsa Convent have broken any laws.

"They have always opposed war and have never joined the Moscow Patriarch in his statements on war. Respect for the rule of law must be upheld and must under no circumstances lead to punishment or to state action of this nature," he said.

Toom claimed it was difficult for MPEÕK to find lawyers because companies are afraid to represent them.

"We managed to find (not hire!) those who agreed. We will leave the legal issues to the lawyers. And I hope that relations between church and state will improve and that the negotiations will take a reasonable direction. When I meet people, the first thing they ask me is about the church. It is the last thing left for the Russian-speaking community here after the destruction of schools, Russian education and many other things," the MEP said. 

The Moscow Patriarchate has links with the Russian government and has said the Republic of Estonia should not exist. The Estonian government is urging the churches within its domain in Estonia to leave and join the Constantinople Patriarchate instead.

The Pühtitsa Dormition Convent is a nunnery of the Russian Orthodox Church in Kuremäe, Estonia that directly answers to the patriarch of Moscow and all Rus. The convent was created in 1892-1895 and is home to over one hundred nuns and novices.

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