Brussels, 02/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - Tensions in recent days between Estonia and Russia over the removal of the Soviet monument known as the 'Bronze Soldier' in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, took on an EU dimension on Tuesday when the Estonian foreign minister, Urmas Paet, said 'the European Union is under attack, because Russia is attacking Estonia', and called for the EU to take 'strong' measures against Russia, including postponing the 18 May 2007 EU-Russia summit in Samara in Russia. Paet hinted that Estonia might block the launch of negotiations over a new EU Partnership Agreement with Russia (already blocked by Poland because of Russia's embargo on Polish meat). In a written statement published on 1 May Paet explained: 'The Bronze Soldier and the vandalism in Tallinn was Estonian domestic matter, but Russia's coordinated actions against Estonia are a European Union problem. Thus, European Union-Russia relations have entered a very complicated situation.' Estonia accuses the Russian ambassador in Tallinn of being behind the pro-Russian demonstrations and having launched cyber attacks on Estonian government websites and the website of the Estonian president. Tallinn also accuses Russia of interfering in Estonian domestic affairs because a Russian parliamentary delegation was sent to Tallinn after last week's riots (during which a Russian citizen died) and called on Estonia's Prime Minister Andrus Ansip to resign over the removal of the Soviet statue. On Wednesday, violent Russian protests broke out around the Estonian Embassy in Moscow. In his 1 May statement, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet said: 'The attacks are virtual, psychological and real'.
Estonia is now calling on the European Union to act 'in full strength against the behaviour of Russia'. 'This might result in the suspension or cancellation of negotiations between the European Union and Russia,' explained Estonia's foreign minister, commenting on the 18 May EU-Russia summit in Samara (Russia) that 'the postponement of the European Union-Russia summit must be seriously considered'.
On Wednesday, the EU announced diplomatic moves to protest against the incidents outside the Estonian Embassy in Moscow, but continued to say that the question of the moving of the Soviet monument in Tallinn was a matter between Estonia and Russia. A spokesperson for EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said on Wednesday that the commissioner shared Estonia's concerns about the rising violence in the streets of Tallinn and around the Estonian Embassy in Moscow and 'strongly urged' the Russian authorities to meet their obligations under the Vienna International Convention on diplomatic relations (including the protection of embassies and diplomatic personnel). The spokesperson said the violence outside the Estonian Embassy in Moscow had given rise to EU solidarity with Estonia, which would be expressed by the sending of an EU delegation ('troika') of ambassadors which the EU hoped would be able to meet the Russian government 'as soon as possible.' (hb)