Kaljurand: Ship guards' case is overshadowing Estonia's relationship with India

Photo: Mihkel Maripuu / Postimees

According to Marina Kaljurand, deputy secretary general of the Estonian Foreign Ministry for political affairs, the relationship between Estonia and India is suffering because the Tamil Nadu high court in Madurai has not been able to solve the case of the Estonian ship guards detained in the state of Tamil Nadu.

«We have discussed the ship guards' case during all the meetings that have taken place in New Delhi in the Foreign Ministry as well as the Office of the Prime Minister. As well as at present in Chennai with the local police chief and head of the local government, so the topic has been discussed at all our meetings,» Kaljurand who is on a visit to India this week told BNS.

According to Kaljurand the agenda of political consultations is very broad but the case of the ship guards has been paid attention to the most since it is at present shadowing the bilateral relationship of the two countries.

«At present nothing has changed regarding the case. The court case is still in the high court and is waiting whether the high court will accept the decision of the lower court or not,» Kaljurand said and added that at meetings she was told that India does not want the ship guards to wait for the court's decision in their homeland since practice so far has shown that people usually do not return to India for the decision.

According to Kaljurand the Prime Minister's Office as well as the Foreign Ministry have promised to do everything in their power for the situation to find a positive solution and the Estonians to return to their homeland.

Kaljurand stressed that the Foreign Ministry of neither countries can intervene with courts' work, but they can ask on the political level for the court to reach a decision more quickly as well as support a request made by ship guards to let them wait for the court's decision in their homeland if such a request is made.

In addition to Estonians, ship guards of Ukraine and the U.K. have also been detained in the framework of the case which is why the Estonian ministry is cooperating with these countries as well.

According to Kaljurand pressuring is a long-lasting procedure, not a single step. She added that the ministry intends to mention the topic at all meetings that it has with Indian officials so the case would end quickly.

Kaljurand said that Indian ambassador in Helsinki is willing to meet in Estonia with relatives of the Estonian ship guards as well as with the media to explain how the Indian side sees the case and what it has done in regard to the case.

The police in India's southernmost state Tamil Nadu arrested the crew and armed security personnel including 14 Estonian guards on board the anti-piracy vessel Seaman Guard Ohio on Oct. 18, 2013. They were charged in December and released on bail in April 2014.

The high court of Tamil Nadu in July cleared all members of the crew and ship guards except for the captain of charges of illegally carrying weapons. The Tamil Nadu police appealed against the ruling and the case moved from the Tuticorin magistrates court to the state's high court in Madurai at the end of August.