Estonia and Russia

04.03.2009

In bilateral relations with Russia Estonia's current focus is developing practical co-operation. We are maintaining contacts on the working level for the sake of having closer relations with our neighbours. Bilateral relations with Russia overlap with NATO and the European Union's multi-faceted efforts to establish mutually beneficial partnership relations with Russia. In order to further develop EU-Russia relations, we have decided to move forward in the European Union with negotiations for a new EU-Russia agreement. Until the new EU-Russia agreement comes into effect, relations will be based upon the EU-Russia Partnership and Co-operation Agreement (PCA) of 1997 and in May 2005, the four common spaces were agreed upon: economic space, space of freedom, security and justice, space of cooperation in the field of external security, and space of research and education.

Diplomatic Relations

On 2 February 1920, Estonia and Russia (then Russian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic) signed the Tartu Peace Treaty by which Russia recognized the independence of the Republic of Estonia.

The following were the Estonian Ambassadors in Moscow during the inter-war period:

1921-1922 - Tõnis Vares
1922-1926 - Ado Birk
1926-1928 - Heinrich Laretei
1928-1933 - Julius Seljamaa
1933-1936 - Karl Tofer
1936-1937 - August Traksmaa
1938-1940 - August Rei.

Russia re-recognized the Republic of Estonia on 24 August 1991. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored on 24 October 1991. The first Ambassador of the restored Republic of Estonian to Russia, Jüri Kahn presented his credentials in February 1992. He was followed by Mart Helme (1995-1999), Tiit Matsulevitš (1999-2001), Karin Jaani (2001-2005) and  Marina Kaljurand (2005-2008). Simmu Tiik the current Estonian Ambassador to Russia presented his credentials on 16 January 2009.

The first Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the restored Republic of Estonia Aleksandr Trofimov presented his credentials on 9 September 1992. He was succeeded by Aleksei Glukhov (1997-2000) and Konstantin Provalov (2001-2006). The current Russian Ambassador to Estonia, Nikolai Uspenski, presented his credentials in September 2006.

In addition to the Embassy in Moscow, there are Consulates General in St. Petersburg (Consul General Kristen Lahtein) and a Chancellery of the Consulate General in Pskov. Russia has, in addition to its embassy in Tallinn, a Consulate General in Narva and a consular section for visas in Tartu.

Important Visits and Meetings

Treaties

There are about 30 bilateral agreements currently in effect between Estonia and Russia.

• Agreement on Co-operation and Mutual Assistance in Customs Matters (came into force 9 Aug 1999);
• Agreement on Aviation (came into force 30 Aug 2000);
• Agreement on International Highway Transport (came into force 26 Mar 2001);
• Protocol on Concerning the Agreement on Legal Aid and Legal Relations in Civil, Family and Criminal Cases (came into force 25 May 2002);
• Agreement on the Passage Points for Crossing the Estonian-Russian Frontier (came into force 25 Jun 2002);
• Agreement on Organising Shipping Traffic in the River Basin of Lake Peipsi, Lake Lämmijärv and Lake Pskov (came into force 6 Aug 2002);
• Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation of Income and Capital and on the Prevention of Tax Evasion (signed 5 Nov 2002);
• Amendment Protocol of the Co-operation Agreement (25 Jun 1993) for Guaranteeing Pensions (signed 5 Nov 02);
• Implementation Agreement of the Co-operation Agreement for Guaranteeing Pensions Between the Ministry of Social Affairs of the Republic of Estonia and the Ministry of Work and Social Development of the Russian Federation (signed 5 Nov 2002);
• Treaty on the Handing Over of Criminal Offenders (signed 5 Nov 2002);
• Treaty between the Government of the Republic of Estonia and the Government of the Russian Federation on the Estonian-Russian Border (signed 18 May 2005);
• Treaty between the Government of the Republic of Estonia and the Government of the Russian Federation on the Delimitation of the Maritime Zones in the Gulf of Finland and the Gulf of Narva (signed 18 May 2005)
• A co-operation agreement in the areas of culture and mass communication between the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Estonia and the Ministry of Culture and Mass Communication of the Russian Federation (came into force 10.02.08).

BORDER AGREEMENT

The treaties along with the annexes were first initialled in November 1996. In March 1999, following the request of the Russian side to add minor technical amendments, the Heads of the Estonian-Russian border negotiation delegations, Raul Mälk and Ludvig Chizhov, initialled the Estonian-Russian border agreement anew in St. Petersburg. The Border Treaties were signed by the Foreign Ministers of the two countries on 18 May 2005 in Moscow. The Border Treaties were ratified by Riigikogu (Estonian Parliament) on 20 June 2005 and Estonian President announced the treaties on 22 June 2005.

On 6 September 2005, the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation delivered a note to Estonia communicating that Russia has no intension of becoming a party to Estonia-Russia border treaties and will not consider itself bound by the circumstances concerning the object and the objectives of the treaties.

In August 2006, the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Federation delivered a note to Estonia, by means of which Russia made a proposal to Estonia to enter into negotiations for new border treaties. Estonia sticks to its former position that it has no territorial claims with respect to Russia, and Estonia sees no obstacles for the entry into force of the current treaty.

Intergovernmental Commission (IGC)

From 1998- 2001, the development of agreements between the two countries took place primarily in the framework of the Estonian-Russian Intergovernmental Commission (the concept for the creation this commission was announced on 5 Sep 1997 by Estonian President Lennart Meri and Russia's Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin).

The last meeting of the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) took place in 2002. The Russian Federation felt that the legal base for the Intergovernmental Commission was insufficient and needed review, so they presented a draft for a new IGC agreement to Estonia. The Government of the Republic approved the draft for a new IGC agreement (as well as an economic co-operation agreement) in May 2007 and is now waiting for the government of the Russian Federation to approve it as well. Estonia is of the opinion that bilateral agreements can be prepared either within or outside the framework of the IGC.

Economic Relations

Being a member of the EU creates a solid basis for more efficiently developing Estonian-Russian trade and economic relations. Since 1 May 2004, Estonia has been a part of the single European trade policy. On 1 May, the PCA (Partnership and Co-operation Agreement) that regulates foreign trade as well as transit, the protection of intellectual property and the unification of legislation in the EU and Russia came into force in Estonia. The PCA creates a solid basis for the Estonian-Russian economic relationship. Estonia is a participant in EU-Russian economic co-operation, and participates through multiple working groups and councils. New bases for the development of economic relations vis-à-vis Russia will also be provided by the implementation of the principles of the agreement between the European Union and Russia on the four common spaces, particularly the economic space, signed on 10 May 2005 in Moscow.

ESTONIA'S TRADE WITH RUSSIA

Estonia-Russia trade gained momentum when the EU-Russia PCA was expanded by Russia to include new member states in 2004, thus ending Russia's double taxation of Estonian goods. As an EU member state, many questions that come up regarding trade with Russia are resolved by the European Commission.

In the eight-month summary of trade in Estonia for 2008, Russia ranked 5th in terms of total trade turnover (about 1.06 billion EUR), with 8.2% of the total turnover.

In terms of exported goods, Russia ranked 4th among our trade partners and received 9.6% of our total exports (valuing about 0.54 billion EUR).

Main export articles in first eight months of 2008:

• Machinery and appliances (21%);
• Agricultural products, food products and drinks (together 18%);
• Transport vehicles (15%)

In terms of imported goods, Russia was 6th among our partners with about 0.52 billion EUR or 7% or total imports.

Main import articles in first eight months of 2008:

• Mineral products (56%);
• Wood and wood products (13%);
• Metals and metal products (12%)

Estonian-Russian trade 2000-2007 (millions of EUR):

All economic figures originate from the Statistical Office of Estonia

INVESTMENTS

According to the Bank of Estonia, as of 30 June 2008 Estonian investments in Russia totalled 240 billion EUR, which made up 5.5% of Estonia's foreign investments.

Russian direct investments in Estonia totalled about 325 million EUR (2.8% or total foreign investments). As of 01.07.2008, there were 907 companies operating with Russian capital in Estonia.

TOURISM

In 2007, about 56.4 thousand Russian tourists spent the night in Estonian accommodation establishments, which was 16% less than the year before. Russians ranked 5th among visitors to Estonia. In the first nine months of 2008 the number of Russian tourists grew by nearly half and totalled 58.9 thousand.

Cross-Border Co-operation

Estonia-Russia interregional cooperation got an important jump-start thanks to EU programmes (for example, the Phare Cross-border Cooperation programme, the Baltic Region INTERREG IIIB programme). Cooperation with partners in Russia continues within the framework of the new European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument programme for Estonian-Latvian-Russian cross-border cooperation. To prepare for the programme, a trilateral working group has been created, which is made up of representatives from state and local governments in Estonia, Latvia and Russia. The goal of the programme is to support the sustainable development of border regions, promote cooperation for improving socioeconomic cohesion and increasing competitiveness, using the existing potential of the region and overcoming common challenges. Information on the programme being prepared is available on the website of the Estonian Ministry of the Interior.

Estonia has extensive ties with its close neighbours Pskov, Leningrad, and Novgorod oblast, as well as St. Petersburg, which helps to expand the zone of stability and well-being with our close neighbours. Mutual visits take place frequently between delegations from municipal governments. Assorted cooperation agreements have been signed between many Estonian and Russian municipal governments: the municipal education administration cooperation agreement between the city of Narva and the city of Ivangorod, the cooperation declaration between the city of Tartu and the city of Pskov, the cooperation declaration between the administrations of the city of Tartu and and the region of Vassileostrovski, the friendship agreement between the city of Mustvee and the city of Oudova, the Mustvee, Kohtla-Järve and Pihkva protocol of intentions, the cooperation and friendship agreement between the city of Kohtla-Järve and the region of Slantsõ, the cooperation agreement between the city of Kohtla-Järve and Veliki Novgorod, the cooperation agreement between Jõhvi township and the town of Kingiseppa, etc. Cooperation takes place in education, culture, city planning, tourism, economic development, and many other areas.

Estonia's Setomaa Townships Association and the district of Petseri in Russia promote projects based on local cultural traditions in Setomaa, in order to preserve and strengthen the Seto cultural identity in both Estonia and in Russia.

The Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation is very active, and its projects involving border regions have been supported by the European Union, the UN Development Programme, the Nordic Council of Ministers, the USA, Denmark, Sweden, and others.

Cultural Relations

Cultural contacts between Estonia and Russia are intensive and thriving, free of complications. There is even a noteworthy institutional framework created for this purpose. The cultural ministries of the Republic of Estonia and the Russian Federation signed a cooperation agreement back in 1992, which is solidified through cooperation programmes.

On 10 February 2008 Estonian Minister of Culture Laine Jänes and Russian Minister of Culture Aleksander Sokolov signed a co-operation agreement in the areas of culture and mass communication in Moscow. The cultural co-operation programme for the years 2009-2011 was signed by Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Aleksander Avdejev and Minister of Culture of the Republic of Estonia Laine Jänes on 26 January 2009.

Estonia has had a cultural attaché in Moscow since 2006. Andra Veidemann was in this position until 2008. Starting in February 2009, Helene Tedre has been the cultural attaché in Moscow.

2008. Estonia-Russia cultural co-operation was very active in 2008 in various fields, especially theatre, music and film. 2008. One of the most successful endeavours in Russia recently was certainly the debut of J. Lotman's book “Pushkin: Articles and Commentaries” in various cities: Moscow, Ivanovo, St. Petersburg, Valentinovka, and Pskov. Its organisation was a success thanks to the good co-operation partner the All-Russia State Library for Foreign Literature, who has been brought together with Tartu's semiotics experts. Hopefully new remarkable endeavours will spring from this co-operation. At the end of June, the President of the Republic presented the All-Russia State Library for Foreign Literature with a bust of Lotman created with the support of the Foreign Ministry.

One important event was the World Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples that took place in Khanty-Mansiisk, during which the presidents of Estonia and Russia had a meeting. At the end of August there was a Seto folklore festival in Pechora, and in September Estonian culture days took place in Tomsk and the renovated Tammsaare house museum in Sochi was reopened. The anniversary of Estonian animated film was celebrated in November in Moscow - the Big Animated Film Festival in Moscow included a special programme of the films of Priit Pärn and his students, as well as an anniversary exhibit about the Eesti Nukufilm studio. Successful Tallinn cultural days took place in Moscow in December.

The following traditional events that took place in Estonia could be highlighted: in October the theatre festival Golden Mask took place for the fourth year in a row; the International Festival of Orthodox Sacred Music CREDO, which has been going on for over ten years, took place in September; in August the Birgitta Festival in Tallinn and the Kuressaare Opera Days both included soloists from the Moscow Great Theatre. At the end of June the 12th annual David Oistrahh Festival took place, and at the end of May the Mravinski Festival took place in Narva for the 14th time, an event that included the participation of the St. Petersburg National Academic Symphony Orchestra.

2007. In May 2007, an exhibit displaying a diverse selection of high-level contemporary Russian art, “The return of memory / New art in Russia”, opened in KUMU Art Museum. In March, a delegation from the Estonian embassy in Moscow participated in the opening of Setu culture days in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan. The Setu culture days began on 20 March at Kazan State University of Culture and Arts, with a joint concert by Seto ensembles and students of the university. On 11 April 2007, an exhibit of rugs made by Estonian Academy of the Arts instructor Anu Raud opened in the embassy in Moscow. The 87th anniversary of Georg Ots's birthday was celebrated with a concert on 12 April, which was organised by the Estonian Embassy in Moscow. The concert took place in Moscow's 11th art school, with which the embassy has very close ties and where a bust of Georg Ots, a gift from Tallinn, has been displayed since 2005. On 22 April 2007, an Estonian animated film day took place in Moscow. Well-known Moscow theatre critic and expert on puppet and animated films Dina Goder helped organise the event. From 19-20 July 2007, the international folk culture festival “Shumbat, finno-ugrija” was held in Mordovia's capital Saransk. It included an Estonia display, presented by the director of the nonprofit organisation Finno-Ugria Kersti Sepper.

Estonian cultural treasures in Russia

Many Estonian cultural treasures were taken to Russia during the two World Wars and during the Soviet occupation after 1944. Estonian cultural treasures currently held in Russia include the University of Tartu's art collection (Morgenstern's collection is in Voronezh), the property of the Estonian Post Museum (Communications Museum in St. Petersburg) and the badge of office of the President of the Republic of Estonia (Armoury in Moscow). As per the State Chancellery's request, a new highest national decoration was completed in February 2008 on the basis of the 1936 design-the Order of the National Coat of Arms Special Class Collar. When the new decoration was finished, the old presidential badge that was in Moscow became a museum piece.

In September 2000, an international restitution conference took place at the University of Tartu that was primarily dedicated to the Morgenstern collection located in Voronezh, and it included the participation of representatives from Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Latvia and UNESCO.

In 2001, a co-operation protocol was signed between the University of Tartu and the Art Museum of the Voronezh Oblast, providing free access to the works of art and a joint compiling of the University's catalogue of art treasures. As of today, a major part of the university's treasures have been identified. As a joint project of the Art Museum of the University of Tartu and the Voronezh Art Museum, the first volume of the catalogue of art treasures originating from the University of Tartu and now located in Voronezh was ready in August 2006. There are plans to release a second edition of the catalogue, which would include the coin collection.

More: Estonian cultural treasures outside Estonia

Estonians in Russia

There are several distinct periods of Estonian emigration to Russia. Until the middle of the 19th century there was early spontaneous short-distance emigration, primarily to the regions of St. Petersburg, Pskov and Novgorod. Massive emigration was inspired from 1855-1905 by the Russian Empire's policy to colonise uninhabited but fertile areas of land. The years 1906-1914/1917 are characterised by so-called “Stolypin-esque” organised emigration, during which Siberia's popularity as a destination for emigration grew and the government began to direct and facilitate emigration within the framework of Peter Stolypin's agrarian policy. Deported people also joined (mainly prisoners). Because of the massive emigration, more than 300 Estonian settlements were created across Russia. The biggest Estonian communities formed in the regions of St. Petersburg, Pskov and Novgorod in the north-western part of Russia, in the Samara and Saratov regions along the Volga River, and also in Crimea, the Caucasus, and Siberia. Beginning in the middle of the 19th century, Estonians began to aspire more towards higher education. Since peasants could not study at the University of Tartu, the closest university was the University of St. Petersburg in Russia.

The establishment of Soviet powers and the declaration of Estonia's statehood brought about the first great wave of Estonians returning to Estonia. There were other reasons for the decrease in the eastern diasporas as well-Stalinist oppression, the eradication of rich farmers, and mobilisation during World War II, which took the remaining men from their villages. After the Second World War the eastern diasporas continued to decline despite the fact that large new groups of Estonians were arriving (mostly compulsorily). As a result of the deportations of 1941 and 1949 and the mobilisation of the Red Army, about 50 000 more Estonians arrived in the Soviet Union. The years 1950-1991 were characterised by a steady decrease in the number of Estonians. This was influenced, among other things, by return migration and assimilation with Russians (mixed marriages, the political direction of the nation).

Number of Estonians in Russia According to Census Data

According to the 2002 national census of the Russian Federation (see Table 1), 28 113 people considered themselves Estonians, 197 considered themselves Setos, and two people listed themselves as Ests. Estonians living in cities numbered at 18 053 people, of which 29 people spoke only Estonian. A total of 10 031 Estonian lived in rural areas, and 33 of them noted that they do not speak the national language (meaning Russian). In contrast, the Setos are gathered into villages (142 people, of which 10 speak only the Seto language); urban Setos numbered 55. About 50% of them considered Estonian their mother tongue.

Most Estonians in Russia live dispersed across the country, but more compact communities could conditionally be classified in the following ways:

- By the makeup of the community and when it formed (representatives of past migrations and their descendants, new emigrants). For example, the Estonian community in Moscow right now is made up entirely of new emigrants (1950-2000 emigrants and their descendants), St. Petersburg Estonians are descendants of those who arrived at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century and also some new emigrants. In villages of Krasnoyarsk Krai and Kalinin and Tomsk oblasts there is almost a complete lack of new emigrants among Estonians and Setos. Estonians living in Pskov have their own separate community.

- By the social and educational makeup of the community. Among Moscow Estonians the number of doctors of philosophy and science makes up 10% of the Estonian population there, whereas in St. Petersburg there are 3-4 times fewer doctorate holders than in Moscow. In villages of Krasnoyarsk Krai, Kalinin, Tomsk and other oblasts, the number of people in Estonian communities with higher education is minute.

The biggest Estonian communities are found in St. Petersburg, where there was 2 226 Estonians according to the 2002 census, in Leningrad oblast (1 409), and in Moscow (1 244). The Siberian communities are generally small. The two biggest Estonian village communities (Upper Suetuk and Haidak) are located in Krasnoyark Krai, and each of them had about 200 inhabitants in 2008, mostly Estonians. There are also smaller villages and Krasnoyarsk. In Novosibirsk oblast, the most Estonian can be found in the village of Nikolayevka (Kyshtovski region). In Tomsk oblast, where Estonians are one of the largest ethnic populations, they are mostly found in Kaseküla (Beryozovka) and Liliengof (Pervomaisk region). These are settlements that were formed during Stolypin's reforms, and about 500 Estonians live in them. There is also a relatively large amount of Estonians in Omsk oblast; the largest Estonian community is Lilliküla or Lileika, in the Sedelnokovo region. There are also about 10 smaller villages.

Regardless of the fact that Russian Estonians have decreased in number, we have managed to preserve our language and culture. In the 1990s ethnic societies in Russia were revived, and in larger communities Estonians organised their own cultural societies (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Arkhangelsk, Kalinin, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Cherepovets, Zavodad). In March 1998 the societies united into the non-profit organisation Union of Russian Estonian Societies (Venemaa Eesti Seltside Liit, VESL) to facilitate contacts and relationships among the groups. The newspaper “Peterburi Teataja” (“St. Petersburg Informer”), which was established in 1908, is now being published again and reports on the activities of Estonians al over Russia. Since 1994 the congregation of the St. John's Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Church has also been active again. There are clubs of Estonian entrepreneurs in Moscow and St. Petersburg, which have about 20 members and which have brought together entrepreneurs doing business in Russia since 1991. It is within the jurisdiction of the Moscow Embassy and St. Petersburg Honorary Consulate to help the societies receive financing from Estonia and facilitate information exchange among the embassy, Estonian institutions, and the societies themselves.

Estonian Language Instruction in Russia

At the moment, there is only one general education school in Russia with an intensive Estonian programme. Pechory's II secondary school has since 2002 been provided with an Estonian language teacher, assigned by the Republic of Estonia's Ministry of Education and Research. There were 127 students in Pechory's II secondary school for the 2008-2009 academic year. There is also a teacher appointed by Estonia working in the Upper-Suetuk grammar school in Krasnoyarsk krai. There has been an Estonian lecturer working at St. Petersburg Univeristy since the 2002-2003 academic year, and in fall of 2007 the school began offering the opportunity to specialize in the Estonian language. During the fall semester of the 2008/2009 academic year, Tartu University sent an Estonian lecturer to Moscow National University within the framework of the Academic Studies of Estonian Language and Culture Abroad Programme and with the co-operation of the Ministry of Education and Research.

The Estonian language is also taught in the St. Petersburg Estonian Association, the Moscow Estonian Association, the Cherepovets Estonian Association, and the Krasnoyarsk Estonian Cultural Association „Eesti”. Locally supported Estonian language instruction takes place at the Pskov Volny Institute, the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, and at Mari State University. The Estonian Ministry of Education and Research supports Estonian language learning in Russia through the Estonian Institute, with Estonian language instructional books. In co-operation with the Estonian Mother Tongue Society, the Ministry of Education and Research has organised regular Estonian language days in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Children of Estonian descent in Russia have had the chance during the last few years to attend Estonian language camps during the summer, and this experience inspires many of them to incorporate Estonia into their plans for the future. In addition, there is an “Estonians Abroad” programme university scholarship that allows students with an Estonian background in the Russian Federation to continue their higher education in the Estonian education system.