Estonia demanded that Russia give back part of the territory: what is the reason

Speaker of the Estonian parliament, Henn Põlluaas, said: Russia illegally seized part of their territory, which is now part of the Leningrad and Pskov regions, and must return them. Like, the Tartu Peace Treaty (concluded in 1920) is still in force, according to which the territory of Estonia extends into parts of two, at the moment, Russian regions.

Фото: Depositphotos

What requirements Estonians put forward to Russians and what can come of it, tells "Observer".

Estonians insist on their own, but make claims in a mild form

This is not the first time that Estonian politicians have said that Russia should return part of their territory. According to the Tartu Treaty, their territory should be replenished with “disputed” areas (we are talking about parts of the Leningrad and Pskov regions). However, in 1994, Russia unilaterally canceled the agreement and finally declared that Estonia would not receive the territory.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, in turn, repeatedly noted that the Tartu Peace Treaty ceased to be valid after Estonia became part of the USSR, writes TASS.

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“After the Peace of Tartu, Russia recognized Estonia, the war of independence ended and the Estonian-Russian border was established. After the restoration of independence, all states recognized us as the legal successor of the Republic of Estonia in all its manifestations, including the state border. The Tartu Peace Treaty has entered into force and is still in the register of valid international treaties of the UN,” said Henn Põlluaas in his official address before the New Year. The text was published on the official website of parliament.

“We have already repeatedly noted that this topic is closed once and for all, and we do not intend to discuss it. The Tartu Treaty belongs to history,” Russian Foreign Ministry Speaker Maria Zakharova said at her briefing at the end of November 2019.

Фото: Depositphotos

The Russian Embassy in Estonia stated that this Baltic republic officially agreed to the absence of territorial claims against Russia by signing a border treaty in 2014. The Russian side did not receive official notifications of the revision of this position, the diplomatic mission noted.

In Estonia they say that if you don’t recognize the treaty, then Russia won’t recognize Estonia’s independence. “Non-recognition of the Tartu Peace Treaty, in essence, means non-recognition of the Republic of Estonia. This is the birth certificate of our country and one of the most important foundations of our statehood,” explained Henn Põlluaas.

According to the Tartu Peace Treaty, part of the Kingissep and Slantsev regions of the Leningrad Region, as well as the Pechora Territory, ceded to Estonia in 1920.

Are there any chances to return the territory: the opinion of the historian

Now it is almost impossible to return the lands, says Doctor of Historical Sciences, Russian oppositionist Andrei Zubov. “This agreement was indeed signed with the illegal, then unrecognized communist regime in Moscow. But after that, in 1975, the Helsinki Treaty on the inviolability of borders in Europe was signed,” he explained in a comment to OBOZREVATEL.

According to him, the conclusion of the Tartu Peace Treaty in 1920 was a forced measure on the part of Estonia. “Because Estonia needed recognition. Thus, she received the lands of the St. Petersburg and Pskov provinces, which at that time were occupied by Estonian troops.”

“But this is all in the past, and the current borders are inviolable,” Zubov emphasized. “By the way, this is the main argument in favor of the fact that Crimea and Donbass should, of course, belong to Ukraine - because the borders in Europe are inviolable and no one is revising them,” the historian said.

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International affairs expert Yuri Kravchenko is confident that it is no longer possible to revise borders. Otherwise, a number of other agreements can be called into question. “I do not believe in the success of such statements, because this will lead to the revision of a large number of other international treaties,” Kravchenko noted.

By the way, as practice has shown, Russia itself very easily violates the existing borders of other states and willingly seizes other people's territories. Although it is almost impossible to return some regions from Russia to Estonia now, one can only guess how the situation will be in the future.

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