Kanerva in Estonia: Events in Moscow serious

Minister falls short of calling for postponement of EU-Russian summit

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On Wednesday, Finland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Ilkka Kanerva (National Coalition Party) sharply condemned recent events at the Estonian Embassy in Moscow, which has been besieged by demonstrators opposed to the Estonian government’s decision to move a Soviet war memorial in the capital Tallinn.
      "We roundly condemn these kinds of violations; it is very important that all states should respect the Vienna Convention [on diplomatic relations]", Kanerva said during a visit to Tallinn.
     
Commenting on the fact that Sweden’s Ambassador in Moscow had visited the Estonian Embassy in the city, Kanerva emphasised that it is important for all EU member states to act in the same way. "Finland is ready for such a visit. It is not a problem."
      According to unofficial information, member states of the EU have agreed that some will pay such visits to the Estonian Embassy in Moscow, and some will invite Ambassador Marina Kaljurand for a visit.
      Finland’s Ambassador in Moscow, Harry Helenius, said that he had not heard of any such agreement. He only returned to Moscow from a visit to Kiev by train on Wednesday morning.
     
Kaljurand was to have come to a meeting at the Finnish Embassy in Moscow on Wednesday afternoon. Helenius said that Kaljurand had cancelled the planned meeting because of the disruption of a press conference that she had attended earlier in the day. The meeting was broken up by demonstrators protesting the monument issue.
      On Tuesday, a number of diplomats from the Swedish and Latvian diplomatic missions, and that from the European Commission, visited the Estonian Embassy in Moscow.
      The Estonian Embassy says that the aim of the visit was to let the various diplomats see with their own eyes what the situation is like in front of the besieged embassy compund.
      Diplomatic vehicles were able to get through unharmed, as police guarded the street.
     
In Tallinn, Finnish Foreign Minister Kanerva came out against proposals to postpone a planned summit meeting of the European Union and Russia. Such a move would be a protest against the encirclement of the Estonian Embassy.
      "The summit is a good opportunity to continue discussions between Russia and the EU. What is significant is to continue dialogue with Russia", Kanerva said.
     
Finnish Ambassador Helenius in Moscow says that it is good to keep the two events separate - events in Tallinn, and the actions keeping diplomats from doing their work.
     
Estonian Foreign Minister Urbas Paet thanked Foreign Minister Kanerva and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen for their support.
     
Also commenting on the dispute between Estonia and Russia was Finnish President Tarja Halonen. During a visit to Berlin, Halonen said that she hopes that the Russian leadership shows its capacity to cooperate in the statue dispute.
      "Everyone should respect diplomatic rights", Halonen said, adding that she felt that the events in Moscow have been serious and worrying. Halonen stressed that the ongoing spat is a matter for the entire European Union, and she noted that the task of mediating should fall immediately on the current holder of the rotating EU Presidency, Germany.
      In some quarters there has been shock that the EU has remained as passive as it has over the travails of one of its small members. Some foreign affairs experts have characterised the current state of affairs as a Russian test of European solidarity.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  COMMENTARY: "Oh, sorry, I thought you were Estonian"
  Finnish PM denounces Russian demands for resignation of Estonian government (2.5.2007)
  Tallinn memorial: Vanhanen emphasises non-interference, Kanerva calls for EU solidarity (30.4.2007)

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