Expulsion of diplomats Russian Federation from Estonia will not go unanswered. This was stated by the Deputy Head of the Russian Foreign Ministry Vladimir Titov.Correspondent Federal agency news talked with experts about Tallinn's actions and the Russian response to them.
According to Titov, this provocative act of the Estonian leadership will not go unanswered. He emphasized that relations between states should always be built on the principles of reciprocity. “Once again I can confirm that it (the act of expelling Russian diplomats. - FAN note) will not remain unanswered,” added Vladimir Titov.
Let us remind you that the Consul General of the Russian Federation in Narva Dmitry Kazennov and the consul Sergei Surgaev a note was given. They must leave Estonia by the end of May.
Spokesperson for the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sandra Kamilova refused to comment on the decision of the Estonian authorities. In addition, the Russian embassy in Estonia also does not comment on the information about the expulsion of our diplomats.
Employees of diplomatic missions are protected from criminal, administrative and civil liability. Although they are required to obey the laws of the host state, the offenses committed do not provide grounds for their arrest.
The 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations gives the host country the right, without explanation and at any time, to declare any member of its diplomatic staff persona non grata. This status, which automatically leads to expulsion from the host state, is the only mechanism to protect the host country from foreign diplomats who do not respect its laws.
Let us note that the expulsion of diplomats is a last resort. It is usually associated with suspicion of espionage (an activity that is incompatible with diplomatic status). Moreover, expulsion can also serve as a symbolic sign of displeasure.
Director of the Center for Strategic Analysis of the Institute for Innovative Development Andrey Ivanov In a commentary, FAN noted that the expulsion of our diplomats is truly unjustified. In his opinion, it is connected with two points.
“The first is Tallinn’s desire to remind itself. We are already accustomed to the fact that the countries of Eastern Europe are extremely unfriendly towards Russia. These are EU neophytes who believe that they can make a name out of Russophobia. But these small states are not on the agenda now. Everyone is discussing the interaction between Russia and China, Russia and the United States, Russia and the European Union. The subject of discussion is nuclear parity, the New Silk Road project, the war in Syria, the fight against terrorism. And now Estonia seems to remind itself: “We are here! We can still do something!” Well, in general, “you know she’s strong if she barks at an elephant.” The second point is related to the fact that with the help of Estonia the West is throwing a touchstone. We need to look at Moscow’s reaction and determine how consistent it is in defending its own interests. Now about how we can answer. There are many ways. The fact is that Russia almost never acts clumsily. For example, it does not cancel the purchase of goods from one country or another. Moscow will act consistently, accurately, but invisible to the public. Various diplomatic channels will be activated, and trade deals with third countries may fall through for the Estonians. Although it will seem to the general public that nothing is happening at all,” explained Andrei Ivanov.
Political scientist Maxim Zharov in a conversation with FAN, he noted that Estonia started a scandal with Russian diplomats the day after the end of the NATO summit, at which the notorious “Russian threat” was again named as a key thesis about the need for the existence of the alliance. Therefore, the expulsion of Russian diplomats is an attempt by the Estonian authorities to immediately offer their “senior partners” a concrete justification for the existence of this mythical threat.
“The Estonian media write about a domestic conflict between Russian diplomats and one of the local Estonian officials based on historical prejudices about Russia’s alleged “guilt” towards Estonia. Whether this is true or not, in any case, Russia should not leave such a boorish attack by the Estonian authorities unanswered. In the best way there will be a symmetrical response, that is, the expulsion from Russia of two Estonian diplomats, especially those of them in respect of whom our authorities have reasonable suspicions that these diplomats are engaged in more than just diplomatic work in Russia,” summed up Maxim Zharov.
Russia expels five Moldovan diplomats. The Foreign Ministry stated that such measures were a response to similar actions by Chisinau.
“The Russian side expressed the hope that Chisinau will realize the counterproductiveness of its unfriendly actions towards the Russian Federation and the destructive nature of the step taken by the Moldovan side, which runs counter to the principles of partnership and mutual trust,” the message says.
Diplomats are ordered to leave Russian territory within three days. Russia also declared the Consul General of Estonia in St. Petersburg, Jaanus Kirikmäe, and the head of the Pskov office of the Consulate General of Estonia in St. Petersburg, Katrina Kanarika, persona non grata.
“The Russian side once again emphasized that the ongoing destructive line of the Estonian authorities will inevitably have a very negative impact on bilateral relations. “Full responsibility for the consequences of such a policy lies with the Estonian side,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said, noting that diplomats must leave the country within five days.
- Consulate General of Estonia in St. Petersburg.
- Google maps
Moldovan President Igor Dodon commented on the expulsion of diplomats. He expressed the hope that Russia will not take other measures in connection with the expulsion of its employees.
“I hope that there will be no other economic and social response from Russia,” Dodon said.
Myths and provocations
Earlier, Dodon appealed to the Russian authorities, asking Moscow not to succumb to the provocations of the Moldovan government, which decided to expel diplomats. He also called such a move outrageous and unfriendly.
“Dear Russian partners, over the past six months you have shown openness and readiness for strategic partnership. Do not give in to emotions and do not make hasty decisions in connection with these provocative actions of the Moldovan government,” Dodon noted.
- Igor Dodon.
- globallookpress.com
- Kremlin Pool
Let us recall that on May 29, Moldova declared five Russian diplomats persona non grata. The receipt of the relevant document was confirmed by the Russian Ambassador to the Republic Farit Mukhametshin.
In addition, at the end of May, the Estonian authorities expelled the Russian Consul General in Narva, Dmitry Kazennov, and Consul Andrei Surgaev from the country. The Russian Foreign Ministry called Tallinn’s actions “provocative and unfounded,” emphasizing that such a step would complicate bilateral relations, which are currently going through a difficult period.
“It seems that someone wanted to further aggravate the situation on the borders with Russia, support myths about the Russian threat in all forms, justify the Russophobic policy of the Estonian authorities and the confrontational agenda of “containing” our country,” the department said.
"Fear has big eyes"
Earlier in Tallinn, Russian citizen Artyom Zinchenko was sentenced to five years in prison for espionage. According to local media reports, the Russian was collecting information about the country’s national defense system and its facilities, as well as the movements of military equipment.
The ERR publication reported that Zinchenko was allegedly listed as an agent of the Main Intelligence Directorate under the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces and since 2013 “has participated in intelligence and operational work<…>aimed at undermining the security of Estonia."
In February, Estonian Defense Minister Margus Tsahkna explained the deployment of NATO troops and equipment in the country as a “reaction to Russia’s behavior in the international arena.”
“What is happening at NATO’s eastern border clearly indicates that Russia is developing its armed forces and stationing them here. We see this activity,” the minister noted.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called statements about a threat from Russia absurd and baseless, saying that Moscow understands the “purely political opportunistic background of such statements.”
“The statements periodically heard from Vilnius, Riga and Tallinn that Russia threatens the identity of the Baltic countries and is hatching some aggressive plans against them are absurd and completely unfounded. It’s not for nothing that we say: fear has big eyes,” Lavrov added.
A note ordering Russian diplomats to leave the country. This was reported by the local news portal Delfi, citing two unnamed sources, as well as in Estonia.
Information about the expulsion of Kazennov and Surgaev from the Republic of Estonia was confirmed by the press secretary of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sandra Kamilova.
“The Estonian Foreign Ministry can confirm that Kazennov and Surgaev will be expelled from Estonia,” Kamilova said, answering a reporter’s question about the delivery of the expulsion note to the Russian consuls.
However, a representative of the Estonian diplomatic department refused to comment on the situation or name specific reasons for the decision to expel two Russian consuls from Estonia. The period during which Kazennov and Surgaev must leave the country was not specified.
Representatives of the Russian Embassy in Estonia also said that they would not provide comments regarding this situation for now. The adviser of the Russian diplomatic mission in the Republic of Estonia told a correspondent about this.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to information about the expulsion of Russian consuls in Narva Dmitry Kazennov and Andrei Surgaev from Estonia. The decision of the Estonian authorities in the Russian diplomatic department was characterized as another unfounded and unfriendly act of Tallinn towards Moscow.
“This is another unfriendly and unfounded act that will not go unanswered,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said, commenting on the situation.
However, representatives of the Russian Foreign Ministry did not provide any additional details on this matter.
Learning is darkness: Tallinn's fears
This is not the first diplomatic scandal in bilateral relations between Moscow and Tallinn. Thus, in September 2015, Russia and Estonia exchanged intelligence officers convicted of espionage. Then Moscow extradited Eston Kohver, sentenced to 15 years, and Tallinn extradited Alexei Dressen, sentenced to 16 years. These steps caused a wide resonance, since the Estonian authorities then accused the Russian special services of having kidnapped Kohver.
Previously, the Estonian Ministry of Defense expressed concerns about the joint strategic exercises of the Russian Federation and Belarus “West”, which are planned for September 2017. This statement was made on April 27 by the head of Estonia, Margus Tsahkna.
According to Tsahkna, Estonia and a number of member states have information that Moscow wants to take advantage of the upcoming military exercises in September to station its troops in Belarus in response to increased NATO activity along the borders of the Union State.
The head of the Estonian military department also said that the Russian side allegedly plans to send 4 thousand trainloads of soldiers and military equipment to conduct the exercises. Back in January, Russia emphasized that the upcoming exercises were planned, and the Russian Defense Minister said that the exercise scenario “will take into account the situation related to the intensification of NATO activities on the borders of the Union State.”
In this regard, Tsakhkna expressed fears that the Russian military contingent may not leave the territory of Moscow’s closest military ally after the end of the September exercises.
“For the Russian troops that will be sent to Belarus, this is a one-way ticket,” the head of the Estonian Ministry of Defense told a correspondent.
“This is not my personal opinion - we are very carefully analyzing how Russia is preparing for these exercises,” Tsakhkna added.
It is assumed that the Zapad-2017 exercises will take place at Russian and Belarusian training grounds in two stages. Among the main goals of the exercises, Russia and Belarus name the improvement of mechanisms for joint planning and tactics of command of troops.
It is worth noting that earlier the President of Belarus invited the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens, to attend the exercises as an observer. In addition to Stoltenberg, representatives of the CIS, CSTO and Russia also received such an invitation.
He called the expulsion of diplomats from Estonia at the end of last week a “provocative act” and promised not to leave it unanswered. The diplomat recalled that the principle of reciprocity always applies in relations between states. However, a “mirror” response from the Russian side will not cause adequate damage to the activities of the Estonian representative office in Russia.
Located right on the border with Russia, Narva is the third largest city in Estonia. More than 30% of its residents are Russian citizens who officially have the status of “residing abroad.” For them, as for many other residents of the Russian-speaking east of Estonia, consulate general Russia is the most important structure. Residents of the eastern regions of Estonia with Russian citizenship can easily obtain new Russian documents only in the place where they are registered with the consulate.
The Consulate General of Estonia in St. Petersburg does not play such a key role for Estonians. Its main functions are to promote Estonian culture and compete with the Finns in issuing Schengen visas to the population of North-West Russia. Therefore, even if two Estonian consular workers are expelled from St. Petersburg as retaliatory measures, this will not create any special problems for either the Estonian people or the Estonian citizens in the Russian North-West.
An old conflict as a new reason
The tasks facing employees of Russian diplomatic missions abroad include ensuring the protection of monuments associated with Russian culture and history. For the Baltic states, these are primarily monuments to Soviet soldiers, whom official Tallinn considers occupiers. Representatives of the Consulate General in Narva participate in most commemorative events at such monuments and assist in their maintenance.
In addition, they demand an investigation into the desecration of monuments, and sometimes try to use legal methods to prevent their removal or destruction by official authorities.
However, for the latter, the Russian Foreign Ministry actually has no tools, except for official protests, ignored by the Estonian side.
The Baltic online publication DELFI reports that it was the situation with one of the monuments that became the reason for the expulsion of Russian diplomats. On the night of May 16, in the city of Kiviõli, a monument to Soviet pilots, erected on a private plot belonging to the head of a local veterans organization, was desecrated. A day later, a representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs officially expressed the indignation of the Russian side in connection with this fact of vandalism.
After some time, a meeting between Russian consular officials and the mayor of Kiviõli, Nikolai Voeikin, took place. He allegedly refused to admit any responsibility for the monument, and recorded the conversation itself on a voice recorder. He was outraged that the conversation was conducted in high tones, but the transcript of this recording was never made publicly available.
The fact of the conversation, confirmed to Gazeta.Ru by one of its witnesses - a Russian-speaking activist involved in the protection of monuments to Soviet soldiers, turned out to be a reason for accusing the Consulate General employees of treating a municipal employee inappropriately for diplomats. The result was the expulsion of Kazennov and Surgaev.
What's left behind the scenes
Even if we assume that in a personal conversation experienced Russian diplomats (Cazennov, for example, began his career in Soviet times) allowed themselves to put some pressure on the Estonian official, expulsion from the country looks like a clearly excessive measure. In such cases, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs usually submits a note of protest to the diplomatic leadership, hoping that they will recall their employees.
Such correspondence provides specific facts of rudeness, actions incompatible with a consular post, and other evidence of violation of diplomatic protocol. Individuals suspected of involvement in espionage are usually expelled without explanation.
This is not the first time the Estonian Foreign Ministry has expelled Russian diplomats from the country. Such cases have been going on since the beginning of the 2000s. Typically, the Estonian intelligence service - the Security Police - publishes a press release in which it indicates that the Russians who left the country were connected with Russian intelligence. Estonian counterintelligence officers did not do this with regard to Kazennov and Surgaev.
Gazeta.Ru's interlocutors in the Russian community of Estonia suggest that official Tallinn is seeking to weaken the Russian diplomatic corps in order to limit Moscow's influence on the Russian-speaking residents of the country.
There are forces in Estonia that are trying to draw a parallel between the Donbass and the Prinar People’s Republic, which Russian compatriots are supposedly about to begin to create under the orders of diplomats from Moscow.
Indeed, formally many Russian official structures work with compatriots in the Baltics. But the Russian-speaking residents of Estonia are divided; in fact, they do not have their own party. The “Centrists” (Estonian Center Party), for whom Russian Tallinn residents traditionally vote, have not made any serious progress in protecting Russian schools and kindergartens, in simplifying the process of obtaining Estonian citizenship, or in reducing nationalist rhetoric in the media.
Some Russian-speaking youth even support Estonian nationalists and advocate the speedy integration of Russians into Estonian society and the renunciation of all ties with Russia.
Nikolai Voeikin himself, the conflict with whom probably became the reason for the expulsion of Russian diplomats, according to DELFI, is a former party worker who oversaw the law enforcement agencies of Soviet Estonia. But later he unconditionally supported the course towards independence taken in the former Soviet republic. The mayor of Kiviõli participated in the introduction of the visa regime in 1992, created the migration department, and led the self-defense squad. As Estonian human rights activist Sergei Seredenko commented on the situation to Gazeta.Ru, “he is a real Estonian and very far from the Russians.”
The Estonian authorities have once again worsened relations with Russia.
According to the Delfi portal, Consul General of Russia in Narva Dmitry Kazennov And Consul Andrey Surgaev handed a note. Now they must leave Estonia.
"According to Press Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Sandra Kamilova, The Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms this information, but does not comment,” the portal says.
The Russian Embassy in Estonia has also not yet commented on the information about the expulsion of diplomats.
“This is another unfriendly and unfounded act that will not go unanswered,” RIA Novosti quotes a comment given to the agency by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
As follows from the official information posted on the website of the Russian Consulate General in Narva, Dmitry Kazennov has been working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1980, after graduating from MGIMO. The diplomat speaks Persian and English languages. Has the diplomatic rank of 1st class advisor. Worked in various positions in the central office and abroad: in 1989-1992. - second, first secretary of the USSR Embassy in Afghanistan, 1999-2002. — Consul General of Russia in Bombay (Mumbai), India. Since 2004 - head of department in the Consular Department of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Kazennov was appointed to the post of Consul General in Narva in October 2015.
The Consulate General in Narva actively supported the Russian language and Russian culture
Under the leadership of Dmitry Kazennov, the Russian Consulate General in Narva carried out active cultural and educational work.
In particular, at the beginning of 2017, Consul General Kazennov and Consul Surgaev participated in awarding students junior classes Narva schools, which became winners of the first city poetry recitation competition “Poems for and about children.” The children recited poems by Russian poets in Russian.
The Sputnik Estonia agency notes that Dmitry Kazennov noted at the ceremony: the Narvians speak good Russian, such clear speech is not easy to find even in Russia. He also expressed hope that the competition will become regular.
Consul General of the Russian Federation in Narva Dmitry Kazennov (left) and Consul of the Russian Federation in Narva Andrey Surgaev (right) at the ceremony of handing over the remains of the Pe-2 dive bomber pilots Pavel Kuznetsov, Afonasy Fadeev and Konstantin Rogov in Narva. The plane was shot down on March 26, 1944 during the Great Patriotic War and was discovered in 2014 in a swampy area near the village of Sirgala. Photo: RIA Novosti / Evgeny Ashikhmin
Also, with the support of Russian diplomats in Narva and Jõhvi, at the beginning of April 2017, an international educational event was held to test knowledge of the Russian language “Total Dictation”.
The last event with the participation of Consul General Cazenov was the celebrations in honor of the Day of Slavic Literature and Culture, held on May 24.
At the event, organized by the authorities of Narva and the board of trustees of the Church of the Narva Icon of the Mother of God, teachers of the Russian language and literature were honored. Dmitry Kazennov took part in presenting memorable gifts to teachers.
Narva and Ida-Viru County: territory of Russian Estonia
Official Tallinn is extremely sensitive to any activities of Russian diplomats in Ida-Viru County, the most big city which is Narva.
According to official statistics, over 70 percent of the county's population are ethnic Russians. In Narva this figure is even higher: over 82 percent. Despite the steady decline in the region's total population, the ratio has not changed. Main language of communication local residents is Russian, which extremely irritates Estonian politicians, who view this region bordering Russia as potentially “separatist”.
These fears are not without foundation. During the collapse of the USSR, the idea of creating a Prinar Republic, similar to Transnistria, was popular here. In July 1991, the city councils of Narva, Kohtla-Jarve and Sillamäe made such a proposal. However, after Russia recognized Estonia's independence, representatives of Tallinn dispersed the local councils, accusing them of separatism.
In 1993, a referendum on the creation of Russian territorial autonomy was held in Narva, and this initiative was supported by a majority of votes. However, Tallinn did not recognize the results of the referendum, and the activists did not receive support for their demands from Russia. As a result, the Russian majority in the region did not receive an instrument to protect their rights.
Residents of Narva wanted respect and waited for American tanks
But in February 2017, the population of Narva saw American soldiers. As part of a NATO exercise, more than two hundred soldiers from the Scout Battalion of the Estonian Defense Forces and US Army airborne troops crossed to the Russian border. American soldiers with weapons in their hands and the US flag were photographed against the backdrop of the Russian city of Ivangorod, with which Narva directly borders.
Then the residents of Narva could watch the parade of American armored vehicles.
From the point of view of the Estonian authorities, American tanks on the border with Russia act as a guarantee of the country’s sovereignty.
Russian-speaking residents of Narva object: they do not put forward demands for separation from Estonia, they want decent living conditions, respect for their own culture and the right to speak their native language. How this right can be guaranteed by the US military is unclear.
Wait for an answer
Former Director General of KaPo (Security Police) of Estonia Raivo Aeg commented in an interview with the Postimees portal on the possible reason for the expulsion of Russian diplomats: “If a diplomat starts working against the country in which he is accredited, then usually there is nothing left to do but declare him persona non grata and expel him from the country.”
The response to the expulsion of diplomats, according to generally accepted practice, may be the reciprocal expulsion of diplomatic workers of the same rank.
