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Estonia has decided to end talks with Russia regarding the Narva River navigation buoys, as despite efforts to reach an agreement with Russia on the location of the buoys, the contacts have not been successful.
On the early morning of May 23, 2024, the Russian border guard unilaterally removed 25 buoys from the Narva River, which Estonia had installed to simplify navigation. Kerli Veski, deputy secretary general for legal and consular affairs at the Estonian Foreign Ministry, said that Estonia has been trying for a year in various ways to reach an agreement with Russia regarding the navigation buoy incident, but without success.
«Russia did not agree to a joint measurement of the riverbed to clarify the location of the fairway and thus the control line, nor did they provide us with an answer on where they have disagreements,» Veski said in a press release on Friday.
«This spring, we made a new proposal for an agreement on the location of the buoys during the navigation period, but this also did not lead to a constructive outcome. Therefore, we decided to end the talks with Russia regarding the navigation buoys because it is futile,» she said.
«Russia's unwillingness to engage in constructive cooperation on the installation of navigation buoys complicates navigation on the Narva River, so when sailing on the river, one must still be cautious not to stray outside of Estonia's waters,» said Veiko Kommusaar, deputy director general for border management at the Estonian Police and Border Guard Board.
He added that the Police and Border Guard Board will strengthen measures for monitoring the control line, and Frontex border guards will help ensure security on the Narva River.
Kommusaar explained that Estonia will not install buoys in the river for the summer months because it would only cause confusion.
«There is no point in installing navigation buoys in the river if there are several bends between two buoys, because navigating directly from one buoy to the other can still result in navigation errors. We tried to reach an agreement with the Russian border representatives for the installation of all buoys, but no constructive discussion took place. However, we will increase the number of patrols in the area this summer to respond more quickly to illegal border crossings. We monitor the Narva River border year-round, regardless of whether the buoys are in the water or not, and border waterway users must still be cautious. People must also take into account the GPS interference coming from Russia, and we recommend staying as close as possible to the Estonian shore,» he said.
«The temporary control line between Estonia and Russia, which is also the NATO and European Union control line, remains in place, and there will be no changes here,» Veski said.
Veski emphasized that unfortunately, such unconstructive actions are a typical tactic of Russia.
«Estonia will not be discouraged by this,» she stressed. «We will continue close coordination with our allies and partners to ensure the security of our country and, more broadly, Europe.»