Third secretary of the Russian embassy in Tallinn Yuri Tsvetkov, called by an Estonian court to testify in a defamation lawsuit filed by Tallinn Deputy Mayor Mihhail Kolvart against the head of the Open Republic youth association Jevgeni Kristafovits, will not appear before court.
The embassy notified the Estonian Foreign Ministry about it last week, the embassy's spokesperson Maria Sustitskaya said on Monday.
"On the basis of the Vienna convention and the Estonian Code of Civil Procedure, Russian diplomat Yuri Tsvetkov decided not to participate in the aforementioned legal proceeding. The Russian embassy sent the corresponding note along with the translated copy of the court order received earlier to the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs so the latter could return it to the sender," a statement issued by the Russian embassy said.
The Tallinn-based Harju regional court is scheduled to start hearing the case on Tuesday.
Kolvart, politician from the opposition Center Party, has sued Kristafovits for defamation in connection with the latter's calling him a contact of the Russian embassy. Kolvart wants Kristafovits to retract the claims moved in his blog to the effect that Kolvart used to have close ties to the criminal world, poses a risk to security, is minded in a manner hostile toward Estonia and serves as a contact person for the Russian embassy.
In remarks relayed to BNS, Kristafovits said he is continuously convinced that working in his present position Kolvart poses a risk to Estonia's security. "I do not consider it right that a person is responsible for education and youth work in Tallinn whom the police suspected of having links to the criminal world and extortions and in whose apartment numerous weapons belonging to the mafia, police uniforms and dubious letters of debt were seized," Kristafovits said.
"Mihhail Kolvart's present activity in the Tallinn city government to undermine the integration process and against education in Estonian language, organizing of youth events in collaboration with the Russian extremist Nashi group and close contacts with the Russian embassy undermine the society's sense of justice. As an Estonian taxpayer it do not want to pay for such outrage and influencing activity directed against my country," said Kristafovits.