The analyst of the Vestnik Kavkaza news agency Yevgeniya Svatukhina spoke in the National Question program on Vesti FM about the role of the Tartu Treaty in the history of Russia-Estonia relations, which is again gaining relevance in the light of Estonia’s territorial claims.
The expert, referring to the history of the Tartu Peace Treaty signed between RSFSR and the Republic of Estonia in 1920, recalled that Estonia was a part of Russia until February 1918, in accordance with the treaty of Nystad that was concluded after the Great Northern War of 1721.
"After October 1917, the Soviet power was established in Estonia. In February 1918, the country was occupied by German troops, then Estonia was declared independent. The power passed into the hands of the Provisional Government. The Red Army troops were sent to the Baltic states to restore the Soviet power. The result of the war with Soviet Russia became the Tartu Peace Treaty, which was signed on February 2, 1920,” the analyst said.
“Under the agreement, the state border was established: a part of the Pskov district remained on the Estonian side, including the originally Russian cities of Pechora and Izborsk. In connection with Estonia's accession to the USSR, the agreement ceased to be valid. In 1944, Estonia was occupied by fascist Germany. In 1944, when Estonia was liberated from invaders, the borders were changed - Russian territories, including Pechory and Izborsk, returned to Russia,” the analyst said.
The next important milestone in the Soviet-Estonian relations was Estonia's secession from the USSR in 1991. It must be stressed that this event did not mean the restoration of the Tartu Treaty, which was concluded by pre-war Estonia, the expert recalled.
“Then, in 2005, after almost 11 years of negotiations, the Estonian-Russian borderline was agreed. The parties signed two treaties on border issues in Moscow, but after they were submitted to the Estonian parliament for ratification, the deputies included the Tartu Peace Treaty in the preamble, which actually meant a demand to return to Estonia significant parts of the Pskov and Leningrad regions,” the analyst of Vestnik Kavkaza said.
According to the expert, the probability of resolving this issue is low. This, in particular, is indicated by a recent statement by Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu. According to him, the ratification of the border agreement between the republic and the Russian Federation has no prospects at the moment because of disagreements on the Tartu Peace Treaty.
