Gesture won’t warm Russian-Estonian relations

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (right) and Estonian President Toomas Henrik Ilves last met in the summer of 2008. The two don't see eye-to-eye on a number of issues.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (right) and Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves last met in the summer of 2008. The two don't see eye-to-eye on a number of issues.

TALLINN — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev sent his congratulations to his Estonian counterpart Toomas Hendrik Ilves for the tiny Baltic state’s Independence Day on Tuesday, but the diplomatic nicety is unlikely to ease tensions between the old foes.

At the recent Baltic Sea Action Summit in Finland two weeks ago, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held a one-on-one [private_supervisor]meeting with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė and Latvian President Valdis Zatlers but not Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip. In fact, Ansip even rebuffed a handshake attempt from Putin at the event.

Estonia has been the loudest critic of Russia’s Nord Stream project among the Baltic states, citing environmental concerns. The gas pipeline will run along the bottom of the relatively shallow Baltic Sea.

“It’s serious. We are worried about the dioxins and other poisons on the seabed,” Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said at a press conference on Feb. 10. “We expect our scientists to get full information about it all.“

However the Russians insist that the pipeline is safe, and the Nordic and German governments have given their assent to the project.

The tense relations between the two countries was also fueled by the April 2007 riots in response to the removal of Tallinn’s Bronze Soldier monument to Red Army soldiers in WWII. Russia is also not happy about the murder of an ethnic Russian man named Dmitri Ganin, killed during a riot at the monument. Ganin was 20 years old. The Prosecutor General’s Office concluded its investigation of the case concerning the death of Dmitri Ganin in June — no suspects were found. Meanwhile, Estonia has accused the Kremlin of coordinating a 2007 hacker attack on their government websites, causing them to crash.[/private_supervisor] [private_subscription 1 month]meeting with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė and Latvian President Valdis Zatlers but not Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip. In fact, Ansip even rebuffed a handshake attempt from Putin at the event.

However the Russians insist that the pipeline is safe, and the Nordic and German governments have given their assent to the project.

The tense relations between the two countries was also fueled by the April 2007 riots in response to the removal of Tallinn’s Bronze Soldier monument to Red Army soldiers in WWII. Russia is also not happy about the murder of an ethnic Russian man named Dmitri Ganin, killed during a riot at the monument. Ganin was 20 years old. The Prosecutor General’s Office concluded its investigation of the case concerning the death of Dmitri Ganin in June — no suspects were found. Meanwhile, Estonia has accused the Kremlin of coordinating a 2007 hacker attack on their government websites, causing them to crash.[/private_subscription 1 month] [private_subscription 4 months]meeting with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė and Latvian President Valdis Zatlers but not Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip. In fact, Ansip even rebuffed a handshake attempt from Putin at the event.

However the Russians insist that the pipeline is safe, and the Nordic and German governments have given their assent to the project.

The tense relations between the two countries was also fueled by the April 2007 riots in response to the removal of Tallinn’s Bronze Soldier monument to Red Army soldiers in WWII. Russia is also not happy about the murder of an ethnic Russian man named Dmitri Ganin, killed during a riot at the monument. Ganin was 20 years old. The Prosecutor General’s Office concluded its investigation of the case concerning the death of Dmitri Ganin in June — no suspects were found. Meanwhile, Estonia has accused the Kremlin of coordinating a 2007 hacker attack on their government websites, causing them to crash.[/private_subscription 4 months] [private_subscription 1 year]meeting with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaitė and Latvian President Valdis Zatlers but not Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip. In fact, Ansip even rebuffed a handshake attempt from Putin at the event.

However the Russians insist that the pipeline is safe, and the Nordic and German governments have given their assent to the project.

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