Estonian PM will not cancel pact with Putin’s political party despite his country’s tough stand against Russian aggression - G&M
29 May 2018 EWR Online
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arrives to hold a joint news conference with the Prime Minister of Estonia Juri Ratas on Monday. Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
The Prime Minister of Estonia will not cancel a wide-ranging co-operation agreement with President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party, despite the Estonian government’s tough public position against Russian aggression in the Baltics.
In an exclusive interview with The Globe and Mail, Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas played down his Centre Party’s links to United Russia, saying the 14-year-old co-operation “protocol” between the two parties is inactive. The two-page agreement, which calls for the formation of inter-party committees, stronger relationships between elected party members and information sharing, has been the subject of contentious debate in Estonia.
“If I said it’s not active, then it doesn’t exist any more,” Mr. Ratas said during an interview on Monday. Mr. Ratas was in Ottawa marking the 100th anniversary of Estonia’s independence.
