Remarks by Trivimi Velliste at the Ministerial Meeting of the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe

Mr. Trivimi Velliste, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Rome, 30 November 1993


Dear colleagues,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would begin my brief remarks by congratulating Italy on assuming the chairmanship of the CSCE and thanking Sweden for a tenure of exemplary leadership.

Dear colleagues,

I have two points to make in the short time allowed. I would begin with a summary of the troop withdrawal issue in Estonia. Thanks in part to the fact that the CSCE has accorded this issue of great importance to us the attention it deserves, we have made a good deal of progress during the past year.

We welcome the final pullout of former Soviet troops from our neighbor to the south, Lithuania. At the same time, our own withdrawal negotiations with Russia continue in starts and stops. Estonia is concerned that Russia continues to demobilize and retire troops on our territory, in contradiction to the obligations Russia assumed in Stockholm and Helsinki to withdraw early, in an orderly manner and completely. In addition, Estonia is concerned that Russia continues to link withdrawal to other conditions, including the construction of housing for withdrawal officers and the provision of social guarantees to retired military personnel living in our country. While we do not consider the lack of housing to be an argument against withdrawal, we understand the concerns of the Russian Federation, and have repeatedly pledged to work with Russia and with a number of Western governments willing to help us build housing in order to reach a mutually satisfactory solution. The second claim of social guarantees is more problematic. I would note that my government's recent order on giving residence permits to retired and reserve officers allows large categories of former Soviet officers to apply for permanent living permits in Estonia. We understand the concerns of our Western friends on this point, and we have sought to address those concerns in a liberal and tolerant manner.

One positive development in withdrawal negotiations came recently when the Russian Federation proposed setting a final pullout date of 31 August 1994. My government welcomes this Russian initiative, and has stated that we can discuss the final date further when we agree both upon a timetable in conjunction with the deadline as well as on the principle that withdrawal will be unconditional. We would also like to see the attack troops currently stationed in Tallinn, the 144th Motorized Infantry Division, leave considerably sooner. We remain optimistic, however, that an appropriate agreement will be signed in the near future and that the final withdrawal of troops from Estonia will soon free space on the CSCE agenda for other pressing concerns.

My second point is one that we, and our senior officials, have spent the last several days discussing, namely peacekeeping. Estonia remains convinced that Chapter III of the Helsinki Document describes a well thought out mechanism for providing peacekeeping, and that no additional mechanisms are needed. Moreover, we believe that the principles upon which peacekeeping is based, that is on neutrality, international sanction and case-by-case involvement, are solid ones, from which we must not deviate.

We note with great concern the recent effort by the Russian Federation to attain international agreement to a blanket and enhanced role for itself in the territory of the CIS, a role which departs significantly from the principles of peacekeeping I outline above. When considering this Russian appeal for a special role, I would ask you to consider the fact that the Russian Federation continues to propagate its state-sanctioned concept of the Near Abroad, continues to engage in unilateral and destabilizing military activity on its periphery and has recently codified the protection of, and I quote, "its compatriots abroad", unquote, as a central tenet of its defense policy in the form of its new military doctrine.

As I believe we all recognize, these activities do not constitute peacekeeping. To depart, for political reasons, from the existing principles of peacekeeping in force now would be an expression a folly and would, in Estonia's opinion, constitute a new division of Europe--the part covered by so-called Russian peacekeeping mandate, and the rest. Estonia is firmly against any new division of the continent, any New Yalta. For this reason, we must continue to adhere strictly to the principles of peacekeeping already set out in Chapter III of the Helsinki Document.

Using as a departure point the belief that security cannot be divided, Estonia calls again on the CSCE to consider the establishment of regional security tables in the CSCE framework as a well to enhance the security of the continent as a whole.

In conclusion, Estonia supports the candidacy of its Finno-Ugric cousins in Hungary for assumption of the CSCE Chairmanship.


Thank you.