Medvedev calls for dropping ideology in Russian-Estonian relations

Photo: Stenbocki maja Facebooki lehekülg

The head of the Russian government, Dmitry Medvedev, admitted at the Council of the Baltic Sea States summit in St. Petersburg that the Russian-Estonian relations are not "at the highest of levels" and called to abandon ideological schemes in bilateral relations.

"I cannot argue with remarks that our relations are not at the highest of levels by several parameters, in some areas they are frozen, in others we are unable to find common ground," Medvedev said at the press conference after the meeting of Baltic Sea states' prime ministers.

Among participants in the St. Petersburg forum was Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip who was scheduled to have a one-on-one meeting with Medvedev later in the day.

The head of the Russian government also commented on Estonia's refusal to allow the Nord Stream gas pipeline to run through its economic zone. "If you don't want it, it's no problem, others will be making money," he said, adding that on the whole the Estonian decision does not affect bilateral relations. "Speaking about strictly economic relations, they are not as complicated as it may seem. Trade is growing, it's measured in billions of dollars, and it is clearly bilateral in character," he said.

In order to promote relations in other areas, Medvedev called to "step outside the framework of schemes that sometimes are ideological."