Contents tagged with Estonia
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Estonia plans to create a 'special zone' along the border with Russia
Estonian authorities will create a special zone along the border they share with Russia. This was said by the Estonian Minister of Internal Affairs, Hanno Pevkur, during an interview with Postimees.
“After the development is complete, there will also be a border zone in Estonia as in other Baltic states. The Latvian border zone is two kilometers wide, while the Finnish one is nearly three kilometers wide,” Pevkur said.
According to him, the width of the zone has not been established yet. …
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Russian military aircraft violates Estonian airspace
A Russian An-26 military transport aircraft violated Estonian airspace yesterday, according to the Estonian Defense Forces website. "At 09:51 [Tuesday], a Russian An-26 entered into the air space of Estonia near the island of Vaindloo without permission," the web message stated.
The plane was in Estonian airspace for less than one minute. It flew with a proper flight plan and with its transponder turned on. According to the plan, the plane was to remain in international airspace. At the time …
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Estonian PM: We expect NATO to establish a firm position in relation to Russia's actions
The Estonian Prime Minister, Taavi Rõivas, said that one of the outcomes of the July NATO summit should be the strengthening of security in the region. He said this during a meeting with Poland’s Prime Minister, Beata Szydło, on Wednesday in Warsaw.
According to him, Poland plays an important role in achieving this outcome.
Rõivas also expressed hope that the Alliance members will demonstrate a firm stance with regard to Russia’s actions in the Baltic Sea region.
“Russia constantly …
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Documentary film 'Donbas Seasons' caused a scandal in diplomatic circles
The Ukrainian Ambassador to Tallinn, Viktor Kryzhanovsky, requested that an Italian documentary film called Donbass Seasons not be broadcast in the European Union. A major scandal has emerged in diplomatic circles over the Italian documentary film about the situation in eastern Ukraine.
According to Rus.err (Estonian Public Broadcasting website), Kryzhanovsky appealed to the Estonian authorities with a request not to allow the screening of the documentary film Donbas Seasons in Estonia.
As …
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NATO Saber Knight exercise begins in Estonia
As reported by ERR, the press-service of the First Infantry Brigade declared that on Monday, May 30th, the Saber Knight international military exercises began in Tapa. More than 600 military personnel are participating.
Staff exercises will continue until the 9th of June. Their main task is to practice planning and conducting military operations in the Baltic states. These exercises will involve readiness to repel an attack from a simulated state called "Botnia,” the statement said.
Military …
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Estonia urges NATO to place Patriot anti-aircraft systems in the Baltic States
Estonian news portal Delfi reported that Riho Terras, the Estonian Defense Forces Commander, stated that the Baltic countries need Patriot missile systems to deter Russia from attacking.
He noted that insufficient air defense makes the Baltic region vulnurable to possible surprise attacks from Russia. According to Terras, NATO has the ability to increase the strength of the Air Force stationed in the region and form batteries of Patriot systems.
"For our defense capability it is very …
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Estonia urges NATO to increase its presence in the Baltic states
A strong NATO presence is required in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, according to Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas.
“We need NATO to provide a permanent military presence in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. These forces may be subjected to a rotational schedule,” Rõivas said this in an interview with Die Welt newspaper, which was published on the 26th of May.
He stressed the need for the constant presence of these troops. “These troops should always be present to act as a deterrence,” Rõ …
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Estonian PM: Putin holds the key to the implementation of the Minsk Agreements
Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas stated in an interview with Die Welt that the key to the implementation of the Minsk Agreements is in Putin’s hands. "The restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity is an integral part of the Minsk agreements. But obviously, this is not happening,” he noted.
Rõivas emphasized that "It is Putin who is holding the key for this [implementation of the Minsk Agreements]. In my view, Russia should take two steps back if they want to continue to sit at the …
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Estonian court approves extradition of former separatist fighter to Ukraine
The Tallinn District Court granted an appeal filed by the Government of Estonia against the decision of the lower court and now, Estonian citizen Vladimir Polyakov, suspected of terrorist activity in the Luhansk region of Ukraine, can be extradited to Kiev, BaltNews reported. On May 19th, the Tallinn District Court granted the appeal filed by the Government of Estonia and overturned the decision of Tallinn Administrative Court of 3rd of February 2016.
The Court issued a new decision, according …
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Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs: Normalization of relations between Russia and NATO won't happen soon
The Estonian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marina Kaljurand, stated that the normalization of relations between Russia and NATO shouldn’t be expected, Postimees reported.
“The normalization of relations between Russia and NATO isn’t expected, that is why the current policy on Russia will be discussed in Warsaw,” Kaljurand believes.
“The relations are frozen because Russia violated international law by annexing the Crimea,” the Foreign Minister added.
According to Kaljurand, the NATO-Russia …