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Estonian Review: March 15-21, 2006 
24.03.2006
FOREIGN NEWS
DEFENCE NEWS
DOMESTIC NEWS
ECONOMIC NEWS
STATEMENT BY LENNART MERI'S FAMILY MEMBERS
ADDRESS BY LENNART MERI EUROPEAN FOUNDATION
WORLD PRESS about LENNART MERI
FOREIGN NEWS
PM: Estonia in Favour of Common EU Electricity Market
Mar 21 - Speaking about Estonia's positions at the forthcoming European Council, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip told a joint session of the parliament's European affairs and foreign affairs committee that Estonia wants Europe's energy policy to be closely connected with its common foreign and security policy.
"Estonia finds it important to launch a common electricity market and closer interconnection between the member countries' energy systems," Ansip said. In energy terms, the Baltic States are like an isolated island in the European Union at present. To do away with such isolation Estonia supports building of new links. In addition to the Estlink sea cable between Finland and Estonia it is also very important for us to support construction of electricity links between Poland and Lithuania.
Statement by Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Mar 20 - According to the preliminary assessment of the Election Observation Mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the presidential elections in Belarus on March 19 did not meet international standards. The elections were neither free nor fair.
The Estonian Foreign Ministry expresses regret that the Belarusian authorities did not comply with the recommendations of the international organizations and their own obligations taken as the OSCE and the UN member state. The Belarusian authorities did not create conditions for free and democratic presidential elections in the country.
We condemn the disregard of the principles of democracy and human rights. We are shocked by the use of force against the presidential candidates of the opposition, the detention of election activists and local independent observers, also by the restrictions on the activities of free media and pre-election public gatherings.
The Estonian Foreign Ministry expresses support to those Belarusian politicians, who together with their supporters in difficult circumstances and at great personal risk were able to offer a democratic alternative to Belarusian citizens. Their efforts deserve our respect, recognition and support. The Estonian Foreign Ministry stresses the importance of the continual attention of the international community to the observance of the standards of democracy in Belarus, including the guaranteeing of civil and political freedom of the presidential candidates and their supporters.
FM: EU Has to Support the Democratisation of Belarus
Mar 20 - Foreign Minister Urmas Paet participated in the European Union Foreign Ministers' Council in Brussels.
At the External Relations Council, the ministers discussed the situation in the Western Balkans and in the Middle East. A lot of attention was also paid to the presidential elections in Belarus as well as the recent developments in Iraq and Iran.
According to Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, the Belarusian authorities ignored the recommendations of international organizations. "At the Belarusian so-called presidential elections, the conducting of a democratic and free election campaign, as well as equal possibilities of the presidential candidates for this were not ensured," Paet said. "At the same time one can see the strengthening of democratic forces and a growing resistance to the autocratic regime, that regardless of continuous persecutions practiced by the state power," he added.
According to the Estonian Foreign Minister the widening of sanctions in respect of the responsible government agents should be considered. "The sanctions, though, have to be directed at concrete persons connected with the falsification of the elections or harassing people," Paet said.
Foreign Minister Paet emphasized the importance of continuing contacts with the Belarusian civil society. "The European Union's contacts with those seeds of civil society that have sprouted there, must surely be tightened," he underscored.
The Estonian Foreign Minister considered the attentive observation of the post-election situation to be of great importance, in order to see the attitude of the state's leadership towards the opposition. "I would like to expect that after the elections nothing happens to the opposition," Paet said.
Council conclusions
Open Estonia Foundation: Belarus Needs More Support After Electoral Farce
Mar 21 - According to the Open Estonia Foundation (OEF) the presidential elections in Belarus were undemocratic and took place in a general atmosphere of fear.
The statement asserted that it was impossible for independent electoral observers, including civic associations, to freely observe the elections.
The observers despatched by the foundation noticed that Belarusians were in a state of fear during the elections, afraid to express their views even in private conversations. In addition to the one-sided electoral campaign, scaring of citizens and repressions against them and abuse of state power to influence the electoral results had obstructed activities of non-governmental organizations in an undemocratic way.
Their statement said that the security police constantly kept an eye on the electoral observers since they entered the country, and their access to polling stations and the counting of votes was inadequate.
President met with Moldovan State Leaders
Mar 20 - President Arnold Rüütel met during his state visit to Molodova with the President of Moldova Vladimir Voronin and Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev.
In the words of the Estonian President, Estonia supports Moldova's foreign policy course for integration with Transantlantic structures and considers Moldova as a priority within the European Neighbourhood Policy. President Rüütel added that Estonia is continuously ready to share its experience with Moldova at the bilateral level as well as through multilateral programmes.
President Voronin thanked Estonia for support and added that Moldova highly appreciates Estonia's experience, especially, as the most of challenges that Moldova is facing now are those that Estonia has managed to solve successfully. Moldovan President gave an overview of his country's development and challenges, including the steps that have been taken for the settlement of Transnistria problem.
President Rüütel confirmed that Estonia supports the complete and unconditional withdrawal of the troops of the Russian Federation from Moldova, and considers it also to be a question of the credibility of the OSCE.
At the meeting with Prime Minister Vasile Tarlev, President Rüütel noted that the EU's Border Assistance Mission on Moldova-Ukraine border should not be the last EU mission in Moldova, and added that Estonia has participated in the creation and later in the work of that mission.
In the words of Moldovan Prime Minister, the co-operation with Ukraine and efficient border control is very important for the settlement of Transnistria problem, and that Moldova is very grateful to Estonia for participating in the EU Border Assistance Mission.
Estonian MP Chosen PACE Rapporteur on Energy Security
Mar 15 - Member of the Estonian parliament Marko Mihkelson was appointed rapporteur on energy supply security at a meeting of the Political Affairs Committee of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly in Paris.
The report was initiated in January by members of the assembly in connection with the Russia-Ukraine natural gas crisis that affected the energy supply of several European countries.
FM Met with EBRD President
Mar 18 - Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet met with the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Jean Lemierre.
The parties focused primarily on matters related to energy and dealt with co-operation between Estonia and EBRD.
Speaking about reliability of energy supply, Paet said alternatives in energy supply should not be connected with only one region or system. "At the same time, the emergence of alternatives is extremely investment-heavy and involves a long payback period, which is why this region's need for investments is very big," the minister said.
Lemierre said EBRD is to an increasing degree interested in investing in the energy sector in Estonia.
The parties stated that the EBRD has had a remarkable role in the development of the Estonian economy. Lemierre said that by today the participation of EBRD in financing business has decreased, which signals changes and setting of new goals in co-operation between Estonia and the EBRD. First and foremost this involves supporting democratic processes and transition to a market economy in transition economies such as Ukraine or countries of Central Asia by carrying out EBRD's strategy.
Europol Lauded Estonian Law Enforcers' Information Exchange
Mar 16 - A commission of the European law enforcement office Europol assessing the exchange of information between Estonian police and other Europol member countries gave Estonia a positive evaluation.
"The exact results of the evaluation will become available to us in May, but it can be said already now that our readiness for co-operation and technical possibilities got a positive mention," director of the central criminal police's crime information department Lenno Reimand said.
The seven-member evaluation commission inspected the Police Board, crime division of the North prefecture, Border Guard Board, Tax and Customs Board, security police, and State Prosecutor's Office, with special emphasis on the central criminal police.
The co-operation between Estonia and Europol has become more and more intensive in recent years. Estonia is an active participant in analytical projects to secure both national and the European Union's common internal security.
Minister of Economic Affairs Met with Russian Patriarch In Moscow
Mar 20 - Estonian Economic Affairs and Communications Minister Edgar Savisaar met Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Alexy II in Moscow.
Alexy II asked Savisaar to pass on to the Estonian people his best wishes and expressed the hope to visit his native country next year.
Savisaar is in Moscow in connection with the TransRussia 2006 transport and logistics fair.
DEFENCE NEWS
Estonia Considering Linking Land Force Units with Corps Northeast
Mar 21 - Estonia is about to decide linking its land force units with NATO's Corps Northeast, Defence Minister Jürgen Ligi said.
The most important issues discussed at the meeting of defence ministers from six countries -- Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany and Denmark in Riga were connected with the Corps Northeast, regional co-operation, EU battle groups, the common security and defence policy of the European Union (EU), Ukraine and NATO.
During the meeting Danish Defence Minister Soren Gade called on the Baltic countries to take a more active part in activities of the Corps Northeast.
Jürgen Ligi said that Estonia is about to decide linking units of its land forces with the Corps Northeast. He also expressed support to the use of the corps staff as the headquarters of the NATO-led multinational security forces next year.
DOMESTIC NEWS
17 Students Applied for the Scholarship of Estonian Honorary Consul in Thailand
Mar 16 - The Ministry of Education and Research received 17 applications for the scholarship of Thailand's international private Regents School for the academic year 2006/07 by the competition's term.
The tests and interviews will take place on 29 and 30 March, in addition Estonian Honorary Consul in Thailand, Virachai Techavijit is coming to Estonia to talk to the candidates for the scholarship.
Honorary Consul Techavijit is offering to Estonian students up to eight 90 per cent scholarships.
The scholarship is meant for studying at a private school in Pattaya or at the Study Centre in Bangkok and it is provisionally going to be allocated for a year. The extension of the scholarship will depend on the academic results of the student, also on the wish of the student and of his/her parents.
Estonia to Continue Training Courses for Georgian Police
Mar 17 - The first 12 police officers from Georgia graduated from a training course at the Estonian Public Service Academy's police school at Paikuse in the south-western Pärnu county, with at least two more such courses to be held this year.
The training was sponsored jointly by Estonia, Finland and the UN Monitoring Mission in Georgia. In Estonia the money was taken from the sums earmarked in the Foreign Ministry's budget for development co-operation.
Georgia is one of the main target countries of Estonian bilateral development co-operation and stands to receive 1.7 million Kroons of the money earmarked for bilateral development aid projects this year.
ECONOMIC NEWS
Currency Rates in Kroons
(Bank of Estonia)
The Unemployment the Smallest of the Last Decade
Mar 16 - According to the Statistical Office of Estonia, in 2005, the unemployment rate dropped to 7.9%, which is the smallest since 1995. Remarkably positive were changes in the labour market of Ida-Virumaa (North-eastern Estonia).
The unemployment rate, which was the highest in 2000, decreased in the following years. In the region of highest unemployment of last years, North-eastern Estonia, the unemployment rate dropped to 16.2% in 2005, which is the lowest indicator in North-eastern Estonia in the last seven years.
According to the data of the Estonian Labour Force Survey, in 2005, 607,000 of the population aged 15-74 were employed, 52,000 were unemployed and 389,000 were economically inactive (discouraged persons or those who have lost hope to find a job, students, retired persons, homemakers, etc.). Compared to 2004 the employment grew and unemployment decreased, the number of economically inactive persons remained the same.
Finance Ministry: Estonian Economy to Grow 8.2 pct This Year
Mar 21 - The Estonian Finance Ministry expects the country's economy to grow 8.2 percent in 2006, according to the spring forecast.
In 2007, Estonia's gross domestic product is estimated to grow 7.7 percent. In its previous forecast issued in August 2005 the ministry said the economy is expected to keep growing at an annual rate of a little more than seven percent over the next few years.
Economic growth is backed by continued improvement in the external environment and a resulting increase in Estonian exports. Exports grew by nearly one-fifth last year, and the real growth rate of export this year is seen to end up in the region of 13 percent.
Estonian Travel Companies Served 30 pct More Tourists Last Year
Mar 17 - Estonian travel companies last year served a total of 2.94 million tourists, 31 percent more than in 2004, the Statistical Office reported.
In Q4 last year travel companies served 581,223 tourists, 8.7 percent more than in the same period last year.
According to the Statistical Office travel companies sold tours to 454,814 tourists last year against 387,197 in 2004.
Of the foreign visitors arriving in Estonia 851,521 stayed overnight at accommodation establishments in the country.
There were 241 travel companies operating in Estonia in
Q4 last year.
STATEMENT BY LENNART MERI'S FAMILY MEMBERS
Mar 15 - "In the early morning of March 14, we lost a husband, father, grandfather, Lennart Meri. There are no words to explain what it means to lose someone close to you, to describe the pain. It is a great comfort for us that there are so many people who share our pain.
The period of the illness was a time that our family spent together, supporting each other. The time spent with a husband, father and grandfather was more precious than ever before. We cherished this time until the last moment, until the very last evening that came on Monday.
The post-mortem examination showed that the direct cause of Lennart Meri's death had been cerebral oedema, caused by the earlier malignant tumour in his brain.
We find great comfort in the condolences - in those that we have received and those that continue to arrive. We wish to express our gratitude to you all! Thank you for your understanding that the family needs time and peace to mourn before the final farewell."
ADDRESS BY LENNART MERI EUROPEAN FOUNDATION
Mar 17 - The Lennart Meri European Foundation and Lennart Meri's family have a request for all those who cherish the memory of Lennart Meri. We would greatly appreciate it if, in lieu of wreaths and flowers, you transfer the money as a donation to bank account No. 221019203839 of the Lennart Meri European Foundation at Hansapank. Please indicate "European" in the transfer details.
The foundation will use the funds collected for awarding a Lennart Meri scholarship. One scholarship is intended for a young Estonian to acquire abroad the skills and experience of building statehood and independence. Another scholarship is intended for a young foreigner, from the west or east, north or south, who is interested in Estonia, for building the bridge to connect Estonia and the rest of the world from both sides of the shore.
The Lennart Meri European Foundation was established in 2002 to introduce the Estonian state, nation, culture and economy to Europe and the world with the help of Lennart Meri.
WORLD PRESS about LENNART MERI
THE GUARDIAN
Lennart Meri - Keeping Estonia alive in times of freedom and oppression
TIM CRADDOCK
Mar 15 - [...As British ambassador to Estonia (1997-2000), I spent many a day with Meri, either at his ultra-modern summer palace on the west coast, with its views out towards Sweden and the west, or during more formal times in the pink palace at Kadriorg, on the outskirts of the capital Tallinn, where he watched over the transformation of his country from Soviet republic to Nordic tiger.
Conversations were dominated by his two great themes: Estonia's rightful place in mainstream European culture - its historical links across the Baltic and the Hanseatic League - and the view that an alien civilisation began on the eastern border; and the pride with which he saw his country's contribution to wider European culture, through its choral music, films and theatre.
The Estonian people knew how much he cared. For this reason he became a popular father figure, above the rather distasteful (in his view) politics of the country's post-Soviet governments, reminding them of the heady days of the independence movement of the 1980s and mixing scholarship with popular, if slightly wayward, behaviour. On a state visit to Lithuania in the late 1990s, he stopped his official convoy, asked a girl in the street if he could borrow her bike and cycled off to find a much-loved bookshop. On another occasion, he found the coffee served at a City lunch in London so unpleasant that he stopped the convoy again, this time for an espresso at Pret A Manger...]
FINANCIAL TIMES
Statesman who led nation to freedom and self-respect
PAIVI MUNTER AND JOHN THORNHILL
Mar 15 - [...Mr Meri, who like many Estonians was deported to Siberia during Stalin's regime, always insisted Estonia belonged to the west. He was a distinguished author whose books were widely translated. A tall, cultured man, his quirky sense of humour contrasted with his experience of the darker side of humanity.
"For us the Nazi and the Soviet holocaust are equally evil, the swastika and the hammer and sickle equally repugnant," he said in an interview with the Financial Times.
Eva Lille from Finland's friendship society with Estonia remembers Mr Meri brimming with enthusiasm to realise Estonia's independence and brushing aside any fears he might have had over how Russia might respond.
Three days after Estonia declared independence, Mr Meri stepped into a limousine provided by a Finnish benefactor and adorned with a miniature Estonian flag held on with paper clips. He drove from one embassy to another, delivering letters requesting recognition of Estonia.
In the streets of Helsinki, Mr Meri met applause.
He told Mrs Lille: "I leant into the corner of the back seat and felt what it was like to recognise the happiest moment of one's life even before it had passed."...]
THE NEW YORK TIMES
Lennart Meri, 76, of Estonia, Dies; President, Filmmaker, Writer
MARGALIT FOX
Mar 15 - [...Mr. Meri served two terms as president, from 1992 to 2001. An ardent nationalist who advocated free-market policies, he was one of a small handful of leaders of newly independent former Soviet republics who had no serious Communist past. He forged close relations with several world leaders, among them President Clinton and Pope John Paul II.
In contrast to the office of prime minister, Estonia's post-Soviet presidency was conceived as a largely ceremonial position. Mr. Meri, however, routinely tested the elasticity of the job. In 1994, for instance, Mr. Meri negotiated a treaty with President Boris N. Yeltsin of Russia securing the withdrawal of the last Russian troops from Estonia. In return, Mr. Meri agreed to grant residence permits to Russian military pensioners living in Estonia, a move that angered many hard-line Estonian nationalists.
Several of Mr. Meri's films, which made plain the hardships of ethnic peoples behind the Iron Curtain, were banned in the Soviet Union. But they earned critical praise abroad, where they were shown in smuggled copies.
Mr. Meri, who spoke a half-dozen languages, was also known for translating into Estonian the work of many prominent writers, among them Erich Maria Remarque, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and Graham Greene...]
THE TIMES
Lennart Meri
Mar 15 - [...Lennart Meri was a formidable father figure in Estonia's extraordinary rediscovery of its national identity. As the Baltic country moved from Soviet domination, he played a key diplomatic role as Foreign Secretary. Then, as President, he oversaw the country's rapid move towards European Union membership and a symbolic return to Europe. Above all, Meri, the intellectual and cultural enthusiast, embodied the determination with which a few Estonians resisted Russification and the enforced seclusion from much of the outside world in the decades after the Second World War. Yet he also retained a fascination for all the peoples of the former Soviet Union, writing books and making films about corners of the vast Soviet empire which remained all but closed to most Western eyes.
He later recalled sitting night after night by a homemade shortwave radio transcribing BBC news bulletins or speeches by Winston Churchill to "enjoy the free word" and overcome a sense of isolation from world events.
As Estonians began to assert their independence in the late 1980s, Meri was at the forefront. He was Foreign Minister in the early 1990s, making an international name for himself for his colourful descriptions of Russian developments (warning Estonians at one stage of an outbreak of "cannibalism"). He also predicted wisely that the attempted coup leaders in Moscow in 1991 would not be able to reassert practical control of the crumbling Soviet empire. "I never met a general who could milk a cow," was Meri's pithy reassurance to nervous Estonians.
At the same time Meri chided Western governments for not taking the Baltic region's security concerns seriously, once reportedly accusing the first President Bush of having "no Baltic policy and no Russia policy".
Meri's greatest asset to Estonia remained as an international figurehead. A polyglot, endlessly curious, full of humour, Meri charmed foreign visitors, who readily forgave his famous inability to stick to a timetable. He firmly asserted what his life's work had proved: that Estonia had the right to call itself a fully European nation, historically tied to the West. And while his own family experiences had given him an instinctive wariness of Russian ambitions just to Estonia's east, his long travels had taught him that the East, too, had its precious cultures and great human vitality. Above all, he relished late in life a leading role in what he simply described as the "fairytale" of Estonia's - and many other small nations' - escape from the dark ages of Soviet rule...]
THE INDEPENDENT
Leader of the Estonian independence movement who became his country's first post-Soviet-era president
NEIL TAYLOR
Mar 15 - [...Meri grasped earlier than most the potential that Mikhail Gorbachev's perestroika offered to the burgeoning Estonian independence movement. He founded the Estonian Institute in 1988 with "branch" offices across Europe which quickly became de facto embassies. By securing appointment as Foreign Minister in 1990, a year before Estonia would formally regain independence, Meri was able to force his way into international gatherings around Europe, to the anger of the Soviet representatives. His determination, his charm and his perfect command of all the necessary languages ensured he was never thrown out. Yet he was never over-confident. He made careful plans for a government-in-exile, which might well have been necessary had the August 1991 coup attempt in Moscow succeeded.
He won the 1992 presidential election convincingly, but not overwhelmingly...]
INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE
Obituary: Lennart Meri, leader in fight for Estonian independence
Mar 15 - [...Among ordinary Estonians, Meri, also a writer and film director, was a beloved, charismatic father figure, whose dry humor and sharp wit only added to his charm. Government officials, however, were often wary of him because of his scathing attacks on unethical practices and corrupt civil servants.
Meri was one of the leaders of the Baltic country's independence movement, known as the "singing revolution."
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Estonians protested against Soviet rule by singing nationalistic songs at music festivals. Meri often urged the crowds to peacefully resist Moscow's rule.
In March 1990, the Soviet republic of Estonia declared that it was on the path toward independence and held free elections, after which Meri was appointed foreign minister.
Following the failed Kremlin coup that led to the collapse of the Soviet Union, Estonia declared independence in August 1991...]
EESTI RINGVAADE is compiled from local news services, including BNS, and is issued by the Press and Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Eesti Ringvaade is also available through the Internet at http://www.vm.ee
To subscribe please contact: vmpress@vm.ee
 
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