Russian ambassador: Border treaty ratification waiting on Estonia as well
In an interview with ERR on Thursday, Russian Ambassador to Estonia Alexander Petrov stressed that the ratification of the Estonian-Russian border treaty was waiting not just on Russia, but also Estonia's Riigikogu, and that the ratification of the treaty requires the improvement of relations between the two countries.
"The ratification of the border treaty is like a two-way street," Petrov told ETV news broadcast "Aktuaalne kaamera," adding that this needed be completed without forgetting that this process must be accompanied by a number of factors.
"First of all, a normal situation must exist in which there are no attacks whatsoever — I mean first and foremost attacks against Russia," Petrov explained. "After all, how can one deal with a partner — or, in this case, a state — against whom accusations are very frequently, if not daily, made regarding violations of international law and that Russia is an aggresor."
Estonia still waiting on Russia
The Riigikogu successfully completed the first reading of the Bill on the Ratification of the State Border Treaty between the Republic of Estonia and the Russian Federation and the Treaty on the Delimitation of Maritime Areas of Narva Bay and the Gulf of Finland between the Republic of Estonia and the Russian Federation on Nov. 25, 2015.
Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky said in October 2016, following the Duma elections in Russia, that the Duma might ratify the border treaties with Estonia before the end of the year. No concrete steps have yet been taken in the Duma to do so, however.
The treaties must be ratified by the parliaments of both countries, after which they will go into effect 30 days after the exchange of the letters of ratification.
Editor: Aili Vahtla
