Russian Embassy condemns Estonia's unwillingness to improve relations
The Russian Embassy in Estonia on Thursday condemned Estonia's alleged unwillingness to normalize relations with Moscow, citing as an example the roundtable against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline held in the European Parliament.
The Russian Embassy highlighted Denmark's consent to the construction of Nord Stream 2 in its economic area as well as Hungary's enthusiasm toward political and economic cooperation with Russia. It also referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Budapest this week, and the several billion euro energy agreements concluded between the two countries.
There is reason to ask where Estonia's representatives stand with regard to relations being normalized between Russia and the EU, the embassy said, adding that no change has occurred in this regard.
To illustrate its point, the embassy noted that Estonian MEP Sven Mikser (SDE/S&D) had been involved in the organization of "Putin's Nord Stream 2: The pipeline and its real price to Europe," a roundtable in the European Parliament held on Oct. 22.
According to the Russian Embassy, unfounded accusations were made at the roundtable, alleging that Nord Stream 2 will make Europe vulnerable to political blackmail, harm the environment and use the slave labor of prisoners. The latter claims were described by the embassy as manifestations of an unhealthy imagination.
"The energy Mikser spent on organizing this event could have been put to better use by fostering positive changes observed in Europe," the embassy's statement reads.
Nonetheless, it continued, Mikser is not alone in his actions.
"How else should one assess Estonia's recent decision to deny entry of the Russian vessel Akademik Primakov to the Port of Tallinn, the flying ban of a Russian plane carrying the deputy prime minister of the Russian government through Estonia, and the banning of a group of Russian youth from entering Estonia for a period of ten (!) years," the statement read.
On the other hand, the embassy also cited as positive examples cultural exchanges between Estonia and Russia, such as the recent Golden Mask in Estonia theater festival and Russian Film Week in Tallinn, which more broadly indicate interest in restoring mutually beneficial and respectful relations.
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Editor: Aili Vahtla
