Russia is set to withdraw from the agreement on the exchange of prisoners with Estonia and the Russian government has made a proposal to President Vladimir Putin to notify Estonia about it, Russia's Interfax news agency said.
Russia withdrawing from prisoner transfer agreement with Estonia
20th March 2015, 17:41
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The order of the government was published on the Russian information portal of official announcements.
The agreement on the exchange of convicts between Estonia and Russia was signed in Tallinn in 2002.
By the order signed by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian government makes a proposal to the president to notify Estonia of Russia's pulling out of the prisoner swap accord.
Astrid Laurendt-Hanioja, head of the service for international justice cooperation at the Estonian Ministry of Justice, told BNS Estonia and Russia engage in convict transfers on the basis of the Council of Europe convention on the transfer of sentenced persons. «Both the Republic of Estonia and the Russian Federation have acceded to it and we both are obliged to fulfill the provisions of that convention. In that respect nothing has changed,» Laurendt-Hanioja said.