Estonian MEP: Reform Party has not found common language with Russians yet

Photo: Timo Arbeiter

The Reform Party has been unable to find a common language with Russians and therefore the party's rating in that segment of the population is low, Kristiina Ojuland, member of the European Parliament from Estonia, told BNS in an interview.

"There's no single definite reason. It seems to me that the Reform Party, which has been in power almost all the time since 1995, simply has been unable to find a common language to establish contact with Russian-speaking residents," Ojuland said when asked about Reform's low rating among ethnic Russians.

"Looking back, it seems to me sometimes that the easiest way out for the Reform Party would be to just leave Russian-speaking voters to the Center Party. We had little hope that Russians would vote for the Reform Party, even though all the decisions that have been made with our participation in the governing coalition have to do with all residents of Estonia. Members of the Center Party on the other hand have almost never been part of the government. They are just promising and talking a lot, but they haven't done anything tangible to defend the rights of the Russian-speaking population. These are only words. The Reform Party, however, has done all its has for the development of Estonia -- from tax policy to the parental wage," Ojuland, a native of the Russian-populated northeastern industrial city of Kohtla-Järve, said.

She said that Reform's communication problems with the Russian-speaking population started not at the time of the relocation of the Bronze Soldier monument but much earlier. "We discussed a lot within the party how to find a common language with Russian-speaking residents, but we haven't found the answer to this yet. There are people of different ethnic backgrounds in the Reform Party, including Russians and Ukrainians, but they too have been unable to offer effective remedies to that problem. I am convinced, however, that this issue has to be dealt with under any circumstances."

"As regards myself personally, communication with the Russian-speaking population has been a priority to me in Estonian domestic policy in recent years. In 2011, I ran in the Riigikogu elections in East-Viru County being a member of the European Parliament to support my party. Then I promised that I will start dealing with the problems of that region. And now I go there very often, communicate with organizations of ethnic minorities, listen to their problems, which we would then discuss in the party," she said.

Ojuland said she has never heard it being said in the party that the Reform Party is not interested in the problems of the Russian-speaking population.

"It's simply that we do not know yet what this myth is based upon and how to dispel it so the situation would change and residents of Estonia no matter what their ethnic background would start supporting the Reform Party if that's their world view," said Ojuland.

Ojuland gave the interview to the Russian news desk of BNS Estonia in Russian on April 5.