Politics
Learning from Estonians to Deal with Russia: Interview with Estonian President Ilves
Reading Time: 7 minutes Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves has said that the main threats to Estonia from Russia were not political but environmental and particularly stressed the danger posed by the Chernobyl-style nuc
Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves has said that the main threats to Estonia from Russia were not political but environmental and particularly stressed the danger posed by the Chernobyl-style nuclear power plant 90 km from Estonia’s border. Ilves was interviewed live in Tallinn by Russian Ekho Moskvy radio station via link-up on 8 December. He spoke through an interpreter.
Main threats from Russia not political but environmental
Ilves, speaking through an interpreter, said "Actually, I am one of those who believes that a military threat [to Europe] is extremely small and the NATO approach some time ago, 
according to which one needed to prepare for a tank war, turned out not to be serious. There is a threat to Estonia’s security, no doubt, from Islamism but one has to introduce into the thinking about security the idea that very many security threats are linked to the natural environment and people. If we look concretely, the threat from Russia is outside politics. The greatest threat to Estonia comes from nuclear reactors of the same type as the one in Chernobyl, which is located in Sosnovyy Bor. The Soviet Union, some time back, used to save money and if something happens with this kind of reactors it will be another Chernobyl. This reactor is located at about 90 km from our border and if it blows up, God forbid, if something happens – this is the greatest threat to Estonia that could come from Russia, but this is not connected with the military aspect."
Commenting on what could be done to reduce these risks, Ilves said: "Within the framework of Northern Dimension, which is a very large-scale programme of the EU, of course, it would be in the interest of Estonia to facilitate the stepping up of the safety of the power plant in Sosnovyy Bor. But I would also bring another example: Apart from Sosnovyy Bor, there is a general security threat from the pollution from River Velikaya which could kill Lake Peipus and affect the lives of tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands of people who depend on it. Of course, Estonia, through the European Union, should help to tackle the issues of Sosnovyy Bor and the removal of the pollution. Based on the opportunities available, it does not have to be done bilaterally because the resources provided by the European Union are significantly greater than the ones Estonia has."
Proposals to criminalize Soviet symbols
When asked about the draft law criminalizing the use of Soviet symbols, Ilves said that as president, he could not comment on the proceedings of the parliament and offered his explanation: "Let’s look at this from a slightly different angle. During the World War II, Estonia lost nearly one-third of its population. This was the fault of both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union and if one was looking at this from the point of view of Estonia and an Estonian person – this was perpetrated against Estonia under two sets of symbols. Why do Estonians have to distinguish in their hearts one symbol of totalitarianism from another? The results for the people of Estonia were the same. In terms of what was done to Estonians during this period, there was no difference between the Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union – the methods and the results were the same."
Ilves said he had no objections to holding another Nuremberg tribunal on the crimes against humanity committed by the Soviet Union. He said crimes against humanity cannot be justified whatever symbols are associated with them. Following persistent questioning about plans to remove a memorial to Soviet soldiers from Tallinn city centre, Ilves suggested that he could instead speak about things on which he can have influence and noted: "In a similar way I could ask whether it is not a cause for concern that we have a neighbour who sees threat to its security from everywhere where there is democracy near its borders and who sees authoritarian rule near its borders as a guarantee of stability, and the price of gas in all these authoritarian states is usually lower. This is much more important a problem than one statue, which is not particularly appealing aesthetically."
Russian-speakers in Estonia
Ilves dismissed criticism against Estonia by a recent Amnesty International report as based on incorrect data and assumptions. Ilves said it was not true that Russian-language schools would change to the Estonian language: "They will not be doing this. It has been decide that starting in 2007 one subject will be taught in Estonian. Is this bad?"
Ilves was asked whether he would want that 139,000 residents who are not citizens of Estonia left the country. He responded: "I would certainly not want for my compatriots to leave Estonia and they are not doing this, despite the invitations and calls to leave Estonia, which, for example, were voiced by the president of Russia. When someone asked the Russian ambassador how many Russians have left Estonia, he answered: fifteen – they want to study there. For some reason people do not want to leave Estonia despite the flow of propaganda which says how awful and bad it is to live in Estonia. Obviously, this propaganda does not work as people do not want to leave Estonia. Quite the other way round – many in Russia would like to come to Estonia. Why would they like to do this – one could ask them – if the situation here is so bad? They are not leaving for Russia, therefore the situation does not correspond to the image that one is trying to create about us." "If you look at what rights the population speaking other languages has in other countries of the European Union, then the foreign-language population in Estonia has many more rights than in other countries of the European Union." Ilves explained that the language test that non-citizens have to take to gain citizenship was an easy one so that about a dozen Belarusian students who have escaped Belarus have reached the required language standard in three months after arriving in Tartu.
Ilves said that, in reality, it is the Russian speakers who are privileged in Estonia: "It is possible for a Russian-speaking person to get good medical help anywhere in Estonia but a person who speaks Estonian and does not know Russian would not be able to get a high standard of medical help everywhere in Estonia. Thus, those speaking Russian are actually privileged at present, as everywhere in Estonia one can communicate in Russian but if you travel to Narva, for example, it would be difficult to get good medical help without knowing Russian."
Presenter asked: "Do you think that Russians in Estonia are the fifth column?"
Ilves answered: "No, I think Russians in Estonia are my compatriots."
Ready for dialogue with Russia
When asked about reasons for tensions with Russia, Ilves replied: "It is strange that democratic states are deemed to be enemies while authoritarian – if not totalitarian – states are being deemed to be friends. It is interesting why this tension has arisen. I don’t know why it has arisen." He added: "I am always open for any discussions and I have never rejected a single opportunity for talks with my Russia colleagues when they are ready for this kind of conversation. Essentially, I think it is even easier for me to develop relations with Russia than for anyone else, because politicians could be fearful for being accused for their Soviet past if they do something. This does not apply to me."
Queues on the border
When asked about long queues of trucks on Russian-Estonian border, Ilves said: "The problem is certainly not on the Estonian side. The Estonian border guards and customs work extremely efficiently." He advised the listener to address it to Russian institutions because "our throughput capability and our high technological level on the border – perhaps among the most modern ones in Europe – do not cause any obstacles. We have very high throughput capacity." He added that border crossing difficulties are created when one wants to send a political message, "but the border crossing is not necessarily a political problem because a similar situation is taking place with Finland. On the [Russian] border with Finland there are very long queues and if it was a political problem, then certainly not from Finland’s side."
Need for border treaty
Ilves was asked about the need for a border treaty between Russian and Estonia, which was signed but Russia withdrew its signature from it. He said: "At the moment we are essentially in the same situation as Norway, which for 60 years has not had an official border treaty with the USSR or with Russia and there are no arguments about where the border should be. The absence of a border treaty is not a particular problem for Estonia." He noted that the absence of a border treaty could become a problem for Russian citizens once Estonia joins the Schengen agreement and the absence of recognized border may hinder its entry into the Schengen space. He summed up the issue: "In reality, the Estonian border is working, is working very well and it is where Russia wanted it to be and we agreed to this and came to terms with this."
Estonian president’s insignia
Ilves was asked about the whereabouts of the president’s insignia and replied: "The only presidential insignia, which is worn only at official events, is the presidential chain, which was stolen from the deported president of Estonia, Konstantin Pats. At present it is in Moscow, the rubies have been cut out of it. The chain has been stolen. This is the former symbol of the president of an independent state. Estonia is attempting to achieve its return. I don’t know, is it worth asking a thief to give back your property? If he does not want to do this, at the end of the day, you draw your own conclusion about the ethical level of this thief. What else?"
Estonia wants democratic Russia
A presenter recalled that according to polls, over half of people in Russia see Estonia as an unfriendly state and invited Ilves to address this majority. Ilves had the following to say: "I believe it is mostly in the interests of Estonia for Russia to be a democratic state, a successful state and a liberal state. I am convinced that in a democratic liberal state in which there is the freedom of mass media, the understanding about Estonia would be totally different. This would be the most important thing for us.
"Of course we regret that this percentage is high but for our part we ask: is this due to objective reasons or is this due to how the electronic mass media portrays us. We would very much like for Russia to be a country were rights of minorities are respected. Where people whose names end with -shvili or -adze [i.e. Georgian names] would not need to be concerned about their destiny. Where after the third form children of the Mari people could study in their mother tongue – we offer our minorities the opportunity to study up to the 12th form in their mother tongue. We would like to see that Georgian children would not experience difficulties. These are the things we haven’t spoken about, but this should be the background to the issues we are considering.
"My vision of Russia is actually similar to [Vasiliy] Aksenov’s novel The Island of Crimea: if the Crime had been an island and the Bolshevik revolution had not reached it, there would have been a liberal Russia of the Constitutional Democrats, the Cadets, and neither Tartars nor anyone else would have been oppressed and there would have been good relations with everyone. This is my dream of Russia."
A new football club has earned a leading place in the UEFA Champions League groups and starred in the headlines of worldwide football news yesterday. The Football Club Sheriff Tiraspol claimed a win with the score 2-1 against Real Madrid on the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium in Madrid. That made Sheriff Tiraspol the leader in Group D of the Champions League, including the football club in the groups of the most important European interclub competition for the first time ever.
International media outlets called it a miracle, a shock and a historic event, while strongly emphasizing the origin of the team and the existing political conflict between the two banks of the Dniester. “Football club from a pro-Russian separatist enclave in Moldova pulls off one of the greatest upsets in Champions League history,” claimed the news portals. “Sheriff crushed Real!” they said.
Moldovans made a big fuss out of it on social media, splitting into two groups: those who praised the team and the Republic of Moldova for making history and those who declared that the football club and their merits belong to Transnistria – a problematic breakaway region that claims to be a separate country.
Both groups are right and not right at the same time, as there is a bunch of ethical, political, social and practical matters that need to be considered.
Is it Moldova?
First of all, every Moldovan either from the right or left bank of Dniester (Transnistria) is free to identify himself with this achievement or not to do so, said Vitalie Spranceana, a sociologist, blogger, journalist and urban activist. According to him, boycotting the football club for being a separatist team is wrong.
At the same time, “it’s an illusion to think that territory matters when it comes to football clubs,” Spranceana claimed. “Big teams, the ones included in the Champions League, have long lost their connection both with the countries in which they operate, and with the cities in which they appeared and to which they linked their history. […] In the age of globalized commercial football, teams, including the so-called local ones, are nothing more than global traveling commercial circuses, incidentally linked to cities, but more closely linked to all sorts of dirty, semi-dirty and cleaner cash flows.”
What is more important in this case is the consistency, not so much of citizens, as of politicians from the government who have “no right to celebrate the success of separatism,” as they represent “the national interests, not the personal or collective pleasures of certain segments of the population,” believes the political expert Dionis Cenusa. The victory of FC Sheriff encourages Transnistrian separatism, which receives validation now, he also stated.
“I don’t know how it happens that the “proud Moldovans who chose democracy”, in their enthusiasm for Sheriff Tiraspol’s victory over Real Madrid, forget the need for total and unconditional withdrawal of Russian troops from Transnistria!” declared the journalist Vitalie Ciobanu.
Nowadays, FC Sheriff Tiraspol has no other choice than to represent Moldova internationally. For many years, the team used the Moldovan Football Federation in order to be able to participate in championships, including international ones. That is because the region remains unrecognised by the international community. However, the club’s victory is presented as that of Transnistria within the region, without any reference to the Republic of Moldova, its separatist character being applied in this case especially.
Is it a victory?
In fact, FC Sheriff Tiraspol joining the Champions League is a huge image breakthrough for the Transnistrian region, as the journalist Madalin Necsutu claimed. It is the success of the Tiraspol Club oligarchic patrons. From the practical point of view, FC Sheriff Tiraspol is a sports entity that serves its own interests and the interests of its owners, being dependent on the money invested by Tiraspol (but not only) oligarchs.
Here comes the real dilemma: the Transnistrian team, which is generously funded by money received from corruption schemes and money laundering, is waging an unequal fight with the rest of the Moldovan football clubs, the journalist also declared. The Tiraspol team is about to raise 15.6 million euro for reaching the Champions League groups and the amounts increase depending on their future performance. According to Necsutu, these money will go directly on the account of the club, not to the Moldovan Football Federation, creating an even bigger gab between FC Sheriff and other football clubs from Moldova who have much more modest financial possibilities.
“I do not see anything useful for Moldovan football, not a single Moldovan player is part of FC Sheriff Tiraspol. I do not see anything beneficial for the Moldovan Football Federation or any national team.”
Is it only about football?
FC Sheriff Tiraspol, with a total estimated value of 12.8 million euros, is controlled by Victor Gusan and Ilya Kazmala, being part of Sheriff Holding – a company that controls the trade of wholesale, retail food, fuels and medicine by having monopolies on these markets in Transnistria. The holding carries out car trading activities, but also operates in the field of construction and real estate. Gusan’s people also hold all of the main leadership offices in the breakaway region, from Parliament to the Prime Minister’s seat or the Presidency.
The football club is supported by a holding alleged of smuggling, corruption, money laundering and organised crime. Moldovan media outlets published investigations about the signals regarding the Sheriff’s holding involvement in the vote mobilization and remuneration of citizens on the left bank of the Dniester who participated in the snap parliamentary elections this summer and who were eager to vote for the pro-Russian socialist-communist bloc.
Considering the above, there is a great probability that the Republic of Moldova will still be represented by a football club that is not identified as being Moldovan, being funded from obscure money, growing in power and promoting the Transnistrian conflict in the future as well.
Photo: unknown
Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Natalia Gavrilita, together with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nicu Popescu, pay an official visit to Brussels, between September 27-28, being invited by High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell Fontelles.
Today, Prime Minister had a meeting with Charles Michel, President of the European Council. The Moldovan PM thanked the senior European official for the support of the institution in strengthening democratic processes, reforming the judiciary and state institutions, economic recovery and job creation, as well as increasing citizens’ welfare. Natalia Gavrilita expressed her confidence that the current visit laid the foundations for boosting relations between the Republic of Moldova and the European Union, so that, in the next period, it would be possible to advance high-level dialogues on security, justice and energy. Officials also exchanged views on priorities for the Eastern Partnership Summit, to be held in December.
“The EU is open to continue to support the Republic of Moldova and the ambitious reform agenda it proposes. Moldova is an important and priority partner for us,” said Charles Michel.
Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita also met with Paolo Gentiloni, European Commissioner for Economy, expressing her gratitude for the support received through the OMNIBUS macro-financial assistance program. The two officials discussed the need to advance the recovery of money from bank fraud, to strengthen sustainable mechanisms for supporting small and medium-sized enterprises in Moldova, and to standardize the customs and taxes as one of the main conditions for deepening cooperation with the EU in this field.
Additionally, Prime Minister spoke about the importance of the Eastern Partnership and the Deep Free Trade Agreement, noting that the Government’s policies are aimed at developing an economic model aligned with the European economic model, focused on digitalization, energy efficiency and the green economy.
A common press release of the Moldovan Prime Minister with High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, Josep Borrell Fontelles, took place today, where the agenda of Moldova’s reforms and the main priorities to focus on in the coming months were presented: judiciary reform; fighting COVID-19 pandemic; promoting economic recovery and conditions for growth and job creation; strengthening state institutions and resilience of the country.
“I am here to relaunch the dialogue between my country and the European Union. Our partnership is strong, but I believe there is room for even deeper cooperation and stronger political, economic and sectoral ties. I am convinced that this partnership is the key to the prosperity of our country and I hope that we will continue to strengthen cooperation.”
The Moldovan delegation met Didier Reynders, European Commissioner for Justice. Tomorrow, there are scheduled common meetings with Oliver Varhelyi, European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Adina Valean, European Commissioner for Transport and Kadri Simson, European Commissioner for Energy.
Prime Minister will also attend a public event, along with Katarina Mathernova, Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations.
Photo: gov.md
Politics
Promo-LEX about Maia Sandu’s UN speech: The president must insist on appointing a rapporteur to monitor the situation of human rights in Transnistria
The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, pays an official visit to New York, USA, between September 21-22. There, she participates in the work of the United Nations General Assembly. According to a press release of the President’s Office, the official will deliver a speech at the tribune of the United Nations.
In this context, the Promo-LEX Association suggested the president to request the appointment of a special rapporteur in order to monitor the situation of human rights in the Transnistrian region. According to Promo-LEX, the responsibility for human rights violations in the Transnistrian region arises as a result of the Russian Federation’s military, economic and political control over the Tiraspol regime.
“We consider it imperative to insist on the observance of the international commitments assumed by the Russian Federation regarding the withdrawal of the armed forces and ammunition from the territory of the country,” the representatives of Promo-LEX stated. They consider the speech before the UN an opportunity “to demand the observance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the Russian Federation with reference to this territory which is in its full control.”
“It is important to remember about the numerous cases of murder, torture, ill-treatment, forced enlistment in illegal military structures, the application of pseudo-justice in the Transnistrian region, all carried out under the tacit agreement of the Russian Federation. These findings stem from dozens of rulings and decisions issued by the European Court of Human Rights, which found that Russia is responsible for human rights violations in the region.”
The association representatives expressed their hope that the president of the country would give priority to issues related to the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region and would call on relevant international actors to contribute to guaranteeing fundamental human rights and freedoms throughout Moldova.
They asked Maia Sandu to insist on the observance of the obligation to evacuate the ammunition and the military units of the Russian Federation from the territory of the Republic of Moldova, to publicly support the need for the Russian Federation to implement the ECtHR rulings on human rights violations in the Transnistrian region, and to request the appointment of an UN Human Rights Council special rapporteur to monitor the human rights situation in the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova.
**
The Promo-LEX Association concluded that 14 out of 25 actions planned within the National Action Plan for the years 2018–2022 concerning respecting human rights in Transnistria were not carried out by the responsible authorities.
The association expressed its concern and mentioned that there are a large number of delays in the planned results. “There is a lack of communication and coordination between the designated institutions, which do not yet have a common vision of interaction for the implementation of the plan.”
Promo-LEX requested the Government of the Republic of Moldova to re-assess the reported activities and to take urgent measures, “which would exclude superficial implementation of future activities and increase the level of accountability of the authorities.”
Photo: peacekeeping.un.org
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