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Russian envoy to Estonia slams Baltics ‘futile’ reparation claims for ‘Soviet occupation’

The issue of reparations to the Baltic States, including Estonia, for the alleged Soviet occupation is off the table, the very term is inadmissible, according to the Russian ambassador

© Russia's embassy in Estonia

MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. The issue of reparations to the Baltic States, including Estonia, for the alleged Soviet occupation is off the table, the very term is inadmissible, Russian Ambassador to Estonia Alexander Petrov said during a video conference connecting Moscow and Tallinn on Thursday.

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Kremlin rejects any compensation to Baltic states for alleged ‘Soviet occupation’

"The very term ‘occupation’ is inadmissible, we view claims of this kind as a blind alley," the diplomat said, commenting on the initiative by Estonian Justice Minister Urmas Reinsalu to consider reparation claims against Russia for the period he calls ‘Soviet occupation’.

Petrov stressed that the justice minister had already raised the issue in the past. "But the previous cabinet disassociated itself from such initiatives, saying this is a personal initiative which is not being discussed," the ambassador said.

"This issue is off the table for us, for good," the diplomat stressed. "And we would not want to see this issue damage our bilateral relations in the future," he added.

Three years ago, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia signed a joint declaration saying reparations for damage allegedly done during the so-called Soviet occupation must be sought. On Tuesday, Estonian Justice Minister Urmas Reinsalu and his Latvian counterpart Dzintars Rasnacs issued a joint statement mentioning the possibility of demanding that the Russian Federation pay reparations as the legal successor of the Soviet Union.

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