Estonian prime minister: We are not going to present financial claims to Russia

Estonian Prime Minister Taavi Rõivas (elected from the Reform Party) has told BNS news agency that he sees no sense in claiming financial compensation from Russia for the “Soviet occupation”, thus, his government will not present such claims.

“Estonia restored its sovereignty twenty four years ago. In this period, we have joined the European Union and NATO. Estonia has been a successful state for all those years. Instead of prospectless claims of the past we must be looking forward to our future and make sure that our independence lasts forever,” Rõivas says.

As EADaily reported earlier, disagreements in the government on the issue of reparations became public last weekend. First, Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand said Estonia would not claim for reparations from Russia. She made the statement while commenting on a memorandum signed by justice ministers from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on November 5. The document envisages the countries intend to make Russia pay for the “occupation”. Later, Estonian Justice Minister Urmas Reinsalu said that Estonian government institutions had made no decision on withdrawing claims for reparation.