|
|
 |
Estonian Review: July 11 - 24, 2005
27.07.2005
TOP NEWS
FOREIGN NEWS
DEFENCE NEWS
DOMESTIC NEWS
ECONOMIC NEWS
CULTURAL NEWS
TOP NEWS
FOREIGN MINISTER URMAS PAET GAVE AN OVERVIEW TO HIS COLLEAGUES CONCERNING THE RATIFICATION OF THE ESTONIA-RUSSIA BORDER TREATIES
Jul 18 - Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet attended the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) in Brussels.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet gave an overview to his EU colleagues concerning the ratification of the Estonia-Russia Border Treaties and thanked the member states for the support they have shown. Paet assured that the signing of the Estonia-Russia Border Treaties is a collective EU achievement. This is a good example of achieving a desired result when speaking with one voice, he said.
According to the Estonian Foreign Minister, the EU member states hope for good relations with Russia without uncertainty or misunderstandings. The ratification of the Border Treaties is in our, Estonia, Russia and the EU's, mutual interest, Paet stressed.
According to the Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, Estonia is content with the presidency programme as the priorities coincide with the priorities of the Estonian government. Our aim is to come to an agreement concerning the financial perspective as soon as possible to continue the utilisation of structural resources that depend upon it, Paet stressed. The future of the European Union is a subject that holds a fair amount of interest for every one of us.
In the external relations council session there were talks about the preparation for the WTO, EU-China and UN summits as well as about the situation in Uzbekistan and Zimbabwe. The Foreign Ministers expressed concern about Uzbekistan's choice not to allow an independent international enquiry into the events in Andijan of 13 May. According to Foreign Minister Paet the fact that the mission is not permitted to enter the country is regrettable. It is necessary to constantly observe the situation in Uzbekistan; its leaders have to respect the principles of democracy, the rule of law and human rights as well as obligations that stem from the Partnership and Co-operation Agreement with the European Union.
During the official lunch the Foreign Ministers gave special attention to the situations in Middle East, Iran, Syria and Lebanon.
Foreign Minister Urmas Paet presented Estonian State decorations to three European Commission officials in Brussels for actively supporting the Estonian accession to the European Union. The President of the Republic of Estonia honoured the European Commission official for enlargement Eneko Landaburu with the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana 3rd class and the European Union accession negotiations organisers Nikiforos Sivenas and Dirk Lange with the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana 4th class.
Statement of the Government of Estonia on the 65th anniversary of the proclamation of the United States policy of non-recognition of Soviet takeover of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania
Jul 23 - Two very important dates in Estonian-US bilateral relations fall into July. On the 28th of July 1922, the United States of America recognised the Republic of Estonia. The 23rd of July marks 65 years since Sumner Welles, the Acting Secretary of State in President F.D. Roosevelt's administration, issued a public condemnation, in the strongest of terms, of the Soviet takeover of the Baltic countries and affirmed that the United States of America does not recognise Soviet sovereignty over the Baltic States.
The non-recognition policy implemented by President Roosevelt's administration lasted from July 1940 until the restoration of Estonia's independence, when the United States recognised the restored Republic of Estonia.
The consistent US policy not to recognise the Soviet rule in the Baltic States and the opportunity given to maintain an official Estonian representation in the United States gave strength and hope to the people of the Baltic countries. These policies also made the re-joining of the international community, after the restoration of independence, significantly easier. We were also given hope by the 1959 decision by the US Congress to implement a yearly Captive Nations Week and Baltic Freedom Day in July.
The Estonian Government would like to offer our sincere thanks to the people of the United States of America, the Congress and the administration for its unwavering support, which helped us overcome difficult times and restore our freedom and independence.
ESTONIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY CONDEMNS TERROR IN EGYPT
Jul 23 - The Estonian Foreign Ministry has a made a statement saying that it sharply condemns the terror attacks in the Egyptian resort of Sharm El Sheikh. The Estonian Foreign Minister sent a letter of condolences to his colleague in the Arab Republic of Egypt stating that he was deeply shocked by the news of the terrible terrorist attacks that took place in Sharm el-Sheikh that caused the loss of so many people. The Foreign Minister also asked that his counterpart accept his condolences for the families of those killed as well for the Government and the people of the Arab Republic of Egypt. He hopes for the speedy recovery of those injured.
The Estonian Foreign Ministry condemns those who executed this terrible act. The killing of innocent people does not serve any legitimate cause and degrades any purpose, which it claims to advance.
FOREIGN NEWS
ROBIN COOK RECEIVES ESTONIAN STATE DECORATION
Jul 13 - Estonia's Education Minister Mailis Reps, currently on a working visit to the United Kingdom, presented Robin Cook, Britain's former Foreign Secretary and Professor John Hiden with state decorations at the Estonian Embassy in London.
President Arnold Rüütel on Feb. 2 announced that Cook would be awarded the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st class.
In his capacity as Foreign Secretary in 1997-2001, Cook was instrumental in promoting Estonia's bid for membership in the European Union.
At his initiative, a joint action plan to support Estonia's accession to the EU was mapped out.
Professor Hiden was awarded the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 3rd class.
Hiden is one of the most prominent leaders of Baltic studies in Britain. His books on the history of the Baltic States rank among the best written in English on this subject. He was the founder and in 1988-2002 director of the Baltic Research Unit at Bradford University.
Reps thanked Cook and Hiden for their efforts to bring Estonia closer to Britain.
Cook said he was always certain that Estonia is a country, which shares Europe's common values and aspirations, and would contribute to the success of the common European home.
ESTONIAN, BRITISH VISIONS OF EU FUTURE COINCIDE - ESTONIAN PM
Jul 12 - Estonia's vision of the future of the European Union largely coincides with that of Britain, which at present holds the bloc's rotating presidency, Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said in a meeting with the British Minister for European Affairs, Douglas Alexander.
According to Ansip, both countries' aim is to raise the competitiveness of the EU, the government's press service reports. If the EU wants to prosper it needs a strong economy that is able to compete with the rest of the world, the ministers said. It therefore behoves the bloc to support research and development and a policy of innovation in every possible way, Ansip finds. "In competition with the United States and Asia, novel technological solutions are the key to success," he said.
Ansip said this should be a consideration in the drafting of the EU's new budget as well. He also voiced the hope it will not take long to reach agreement on the new budget framework so that preparations for implementing cohesion funds in 2007 can begin.
NO ESTONIANS REPORTED INJURED IN TURKEY BLAST
Jul 16 - The Estonian Embassy in Turkey has not received any information regarding Estonian nationals being injured in a blast that ripped through a minibus in the resort of Kusadasi.
Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Ehtel Halliste said the Embassy has not received any reports about Estonians traveling on the bus.
"According to the Embassy's information, the resort of Kusadasi is not very popular with Estonian tourists," she observed.
The blast which police say could have been set off by a suicide bomber killed five people in Kusadasi, a town on Turkey's Aegean coast.
Besides the suspected terrorist, at least four people were killed and 14 injured in the explosion that occurred as the minibus was travelling across the town's central square.
US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ADOPTS RESOLUTION ON SOVIET OCCUPATION OF BALTIC STATES
Jul 22 - The House of Representatives of the US Congress adopted a resolution urging Russia to apologize for the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States.
The congressmen had unanimously adopted the resolution urging Russia to admit the occupation of the Baltic States and condemn the illegal annexation of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
The resolution was adopted marking the 65th anniversary of the policy of non-recognition of the occupation of the Baltic States.
The upper house of the US Congress, the Senate, approved the above resolution in mid-May.
The resolution says that the Russian Federation should issue a clear and unambiguous statement of admission and condemnation of the illegal occupation and annexation by the Soviet Union from 1940 to 1991 of the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
The document further notes that the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact of 1939 between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union and secret protocols to it that provided the Soviet Union with the opportunity to occupy and annex the Baltic states was condemned by the Congress of Peoples' Deputies of the Soviet Union.
According to the resolution, if the Russian government admitted the fact of occupation, it would be a significant increase in the good will among the affected people and enhanced regional stability.
The preamble of the resolution, among other things, emphasizes that the incorporation of the Baltic countries into the Soviet Union was carried out against the will of sovereign people, the United States was steadfast in its policy of not recognizing the illegal Soviet annexation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, the occupation brought countless suffering to the Baltic peoples through terror, killings, and deportations to Siberian concentration camps, the people of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania bravely resisted Soviet aggression first through armed resistance movements and later through political resistance movements.
Russia has not changed its position on the issue so far, with Kremlin refusing to admit the fact of the Soviet occupation of the Baltic States.
Russia's unwillingness to admit the fact is believed to be determined by a fear that in such a case it would have to recognize the formerly occupied countries' demands to compensate for the damage caused by the occupation as valid. Lithuania has estimated the damage done by the Soviet occupation at 80 billion litas (EUR 23 billion), but Moscow has refused to negotiate compensation.
NO ESTONIAN TOURISTS AMONG EGYPT BOMB VICTIMS
Jul 23 - No Estonian residents were involved in today's bomb blasts in Egypt according to information at the disposal of the Foreign Ministry.
Marina Laikjõe, CEO of Domina World Travel, told Radio Estonia that as far as she knew Estonian travel agencies did not organize tours to Egypt at the moment because it was too hot there.
Laikjõe said that those travelling to Egypt would in the future have to accept stricter security measures. Although Domina World Travel recently called off tours to Turkey in the name of the tourists' safety, Laikjoe said it was still early to say anything about Egypt.
A grouping called the Al-Qaeda Organization in Levant and Egypt has assumed responsibility for the attacks. It is the worst act of terror in Egypt in nearly a century.
DEFENCE NEWS
ESTONIAN SOLDIERS INJURED IN IRAQ TO RETURN INTO SERVICE
Jul 23 - Nine months after the most serious incident including Estonian soldiers in Iraq, in which 1st Sgt Arre Illenzeer was killed, the men injured in the same incident are returning into service.
Although the general staff said after the incident that there were two soldiers with grave injuries, it was necessary to send home three soldiers from Iraq.
Of the three men who were then brought home from the mission, the first one returned to serve in the Scouts Battalion in May. Another soldier, who went through several operations, will return into the ranks in August.
Jr. Lt. Ants Torim, information officer of the Peace Operations Centre, said that the two men are again able to carry weapons and take part in training with all their might.
The third soldier whose injuries were the gravest and who was unconscious for several weeks afterwards is now undergoing rehabilitation treatment.
The soldier has considerably improved, but he still walks with a limp and will need more time to recover.
TEAMS FROM 11 FOREIGN COUNTRIES TO TAKE PART IN 2005 ERNA RETK COMPETITION IN ESTONIA
Jul 15 - Teams from 11 foreign countries will be pitting their strength against Estonian participants early next month in this year's Erna Retk military competition.
Capt. Meelis Rätsep, chief organizer of the event considered to be one of the toughest of its kind in the world, said teams from Belgium, Britain, China, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Sweden, Turkey, and the United States have registered for the competition. China, Denmark and Finland will be represented with two teams each. Competing with foreign entrants will be teams of the Estonian Defence Forces, voluntary Kaitseliit (Defence League) and border guard. Side by side with men, contestants from the Võru organization of Women's Home Defense will be testing their strength. In all, 31 teams have entered the competition.
Erna Retk is a team long-range reconnaissance event in the course of which contestants have to navigate by day and night in a territory of around 150 square kilometres and complete a variety of tasks. The event is staged to commemorate the landing of the legendary Erna group into the rear of Soviet forces in summer 1941. Trained in Finland, the group penetrated far inland and put up fierce resistance to Soviet destroyer battalions, making it possible for civilians hiding in the woods to escape.
DOMESTIC NEWS
ESTONIAN PRESIDENT TO TURN TO SUPREME COURT OVER E-VOTING BILL
Jul 12 - Estonian President Arnold Rüütel has again rejected a bill on e-voting passed by the Parliament and will turn to the Supreme Court to have it declared to be in contradiction with the Constitution.
The President refused to sign the bill into law first in May and again on June 22 after the Parliament introduced amendments, which did not satisfy him.
On June 28 the lawmakers decided not to change the bill anymore and passed it again with the backing of mostly Res Publica and Reform Party deputies, as well as some Pro Patria Union and Social Democratic Party members.
The disputed point is the possibility of altering a vote cast electronically during the period of advance voting.
The parliamentary Constitutional Committee, proposing at the end of June to pass the legislation as it stands, voiced the opinion that the possibility of changing a vote cast over the Internet is a precondition of the constitutionality of e-voting because each voter must have the opportunity of making his or her choice freely and without external influence.
ECONOMIC NEWS
SALES OF ESTONIAN COMPANIES UP 15 PCT IN Q1
Jul 12 - The Statistical Office said the Estonian companies' net sales totalled 97.1 billion kroons (EUR 6.2 b) in Q1 this year, 12.6 billion kroons or 15 percent higher than in Q1 2004.
In Q1 companies invested 5.7 billion kroons into fixed assets, 241 million kroons more than in the same period in
2004. The investments were mainly into the construction and reconstruction of buildings and structures and into machinery and installations.
There were 35,118 various companies producing goods or non-financial services in Estonia in Q1. Of the companies in operation 32 percent were trade companies, 23 percent real estate, rental and business companies, 14 percent processing industry companies, 8 percent transport, warehousing and communications companies and 8 percent construction companies.
Four in five companies (79 percent) were micro-companies with less than ten employees and 17 percent small companies with 10-50 employees. The companies in operation had a total of 409,507 employees.
ALMOST ONE-TENTH OF BUYERS OF LAND IN ESTONIA ARE FOREIGNERS
Jul 14 - The Estonian National Land Board's real estate deals statistics shows that in the fourth quarter of last year 1,071 deals with land in which the buyer was a foreigner were registered, the weekly Eesti Ekspress reports. The number accounts for 8 percent of the total.
During the months of October, November and December, foreigners acquired 525 hectares of land worth a total of almost 390 million kroons (EUR 25 mln).
The largest part of deals with land, or 70 percent, was however concluded by Estonian private individuals who paid in all more than four billion kroons for 14,500 hectares that changed hands.
The land board bases its real estate deals statistics on copies of sale, purchase, exchange and gratuitous contracts sent by notaries.
Currency Rates in Kroons
July 24, 2005
British pound - GBP - 22.533
Canadian dollar - CAD - 10.576
Swiss franc - CHF - 10.011
Danish krone - DKK - 2.097
Japanese yen - JPY - 0.115
Latvian lat - LVL - 22.478
Lithuanian lit - LTL - 4.531
Norwegian krone - NOK - 1.963
Russian rouble - RUB - 0.449
Swedish krona - SEK - 1.651
US dollar - USD - 12.847
Euro - EUR - 15.646
CULTURAL NEWS
STRUVE'S GEODETIC ARC INSCRIBED IN UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST
Jul 15 - The geodetic arc bearing the name of the University of Tartu astronomer F.G.W. Struve, forming a 2820-kilometer segment of the meridian stretching from Northern Norway to the Black Sea was entered in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The work carried out under Dr. Struve's supervision in Tartu during 1816-1855 was of considerable importance for determining the shape and size of the Earth and represented an important step in the development of astronomy, geodetics and cartography. The measurement of the arc constituted a rare example of collaboration for a scientific cause between the scientists and rulers of a number of countries.
UNESCO World Heritage List now includes the arc with its remaining 34 points, of which 3 are located in Estonia-one in the Observatory in Tartu and two in Simuna, in Virumaa County.
The arc goes through the territory of 10 contemporary nations-Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, the Ukraine, and Moldova. The joint application of the countries concerned to seek inscription was presented to UNESCO by the Finnish Minister of Culture in January 2004.
With the Struve Arc, Estonia now has two inscriptions in the UNESCO World Heritage list, the other one being the Old Town of Tallinn, the capital city. UNESCO's list of Masterpieces of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity includes the Estonian tradition of Song and Dance Festivals and the cultural space of the tiny Kihnu Island.
ARVO PÄRT WAS AWARDED THE EUROPEAN CHURCH MUSIC AWARD
Jul 21 - The 2005 European Church Music award was given away for the 7th time in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany. The award is given to interprets and composers who have had remarkable outcomes in spiritual music. The award was presented by Schwäbisch Gmünd mayor Wolfgang Leidig to Arvo Pärt. Before the ceremony, a concert was held by the Hilliard Ensemble and the vocal ensemble Ars Nova performing Pärt's "Passio Domini nostri Jesu Christi sedundum Joannem", conducted by Paul Hillier.
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
 
|
|
