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Russian senator bashes ‘pointless’ Latvian-Estonian compensation ploy against Moscow

It was earlier reported that the Estonian Minister of Justice and his Latvian counterpart are planning to consider a demand for compensation from Russia for the "Soviet occupation" period

MOSCOW, August 22. /TASS/. Head of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament) Foreign Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev has castigated a statement by Latvian and Estonian justice ministers seeking to demand compensation from Russia for the "Soviet occupation" as "pointless and futile."

Estonian Minister of Justice Urmas Reinsalu and his Latvian counterpart Dzintars Rasnacs are planning to consider a demand for compensation from Russia for the "Soviet occupation" period, the press service of the Estonian Ministry of Justice reported on Tuesday. They stressed in their joint statement how important it is to remember the "Soviet occupation" period and are exploring the possibility of demanding ‘damage’ reparations from Russia as the Soviet Union’s successor. The two ministers also said they were ready to tackle the issue under international law at the UN.

"The issue is not new, to put it mildly. I see no need whatsoever to react to another pointless and futile maneuver by Baltic Russophobes pursuing their careers," Kosachev wrote on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

The senator recalled that eight years ago he pointed to "the need for a comprehensive stance on the Soviet past and the degree of Russia’s responsibility, as a successor country to the USSR, for its deeds."

"Let me emphasize once again - we need some kind of historical framework on this issue, which would put an end, once and for all, to any attempts at populist speculations concerning the difficult and, in many respects, truly tragic past of our countries and peoples," Kosachev noted.