Resolving the Russo-Estonian Border Dispute in the Wake of the Ukrainian Crisis
Resolving the Russo-Estonian Border Dispute in the Wake of the Ukrainian Crisis

Summary/Abstract: The current paper investigates lack of the Border Treaty between Russia and Estonia. This issue has been marring the relations between the two former Soviet republics for almost 24 years. The recent (and the third) attempt to put an end to the formal demarcation of the border came on 18 February, 2014, when foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and former foreign minister Urmas Paet put their signatures on the border treaty in Moscow. The timing of when the ratification laws in both countries should be passed and exchanged cannot be more controversial. The crisis that continues to escalate in Ukraine apart from bringing a drastic dip in the relations between Moscow and the West will undoubtedly affect all areas of cooperation between Moscow and Tallinn. This paper starts with an overview of the main causes of the long-standing border dispute and the analysis of why the previous attempts to formalize the border were unsuccessful. Secondly, the paper analyzes the new border treaty and the existing discourses on the border dispute resolution in the aftermath of the Ukrainian crisis on the ratification processes in both countries. The paper concludes with remarks regarding some possible effects of the border treaty implementation and the future of the relations of Russo-Estonian relations.

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