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Estonia's president hails dialogue with Russia

Kaljulaid invited Putin to visit Estonia next year

TALLINN, April 23. /TASS/. A direct dialogue with Vladimir Putin brings Estonia to one level with other countries of the European Union and NATO, said Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid, who last week met with the Russian leader in Moscow.

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"I want Estonia to be at one level with other EU and NATO countries," Kaljulaid told ETV+ channel. "We don’t want others to say for us, but we want to speak ourselves. We also talk a lot about Russia, when we meet with the leaders of other countries. It is much fairer when you are ready to express your thoughts directly to the head of the Russian state. So, we are becoming a real state."

Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid visited Moscow on April 18 to take part in the official opening of the Baltic state’s renovated embassy building. Later in the day, she was received by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said that the absence of meaningful contacts between Russian and Estonian officials for a long period of time was not normal. Kaljulaid invited Putin to visit Estonia next year.

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