Estonia Advances Border Treaty With Russia

[Baluarte]

TALLINN—Estonia's government on Thursday approved a bill for a new border treaty with Russia, more than 20 years after the small Baltic nation gained independence from the Soviet Union.

Estonia is the only country in the European Union that doesn't have a border treaty with Russia. The two countries signed one in 2005, but Russia then failed to ratify it.

Officials from Estonia and Russia have met three times since last fall to discuss a new one, leading to the approval Thursday by Prime Minister Andrus Ansip's Cabinet. The next step is for foreign ministers of both countries to sign the treaty and then for both parliaments to ratify it.

Estonia used to be slightly bigger before it was occupied by the Soviet Union during World War II, and the de facto border remains the border of Soviet Estonia.

The problem with the previous treaty in 2005 was that the Estonian Parliament added a preamble about a peace treaty from 1920 that had given Estonian the territory that is now Russia. The new treaty avoids mention of that dispute.

[Loki]

A good step in the name of peace.

[Äike]

TALLINN—Estonia's government on Thursday approved a bill for a new border treaty with Russia, more than 20 years after the small Baltic nation gained independence from the Soviet Union.

Estonia became independent 95 years ago from the Russian Empire. 20 years ago the Estonian Republic became free from Soviet occupation. During the occupation there was something called an exile government, if you have heard of it.