ESTONIA: FOREIGN MINISTER CONSIDERING STATEMENT ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L TALLINN 000139 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y - ADDED DECL DATE- SIPDIS FOR EUR/NB KATHERINE GARRY E.O. 12958 DECL 04/21/2018 TAGS: PREL PGOV RS GG EN SUBJECT: ESTONIA: FOREIGN MINISTER CONSIDERING STATEMENT ON RUSSIAN ACTIVITES IN GEORGIA Classified by: CDA Karen Decker for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) REF: STATE 40637 ¶1. (C) On April 21, Poloff met with Lauri Kuusing, Russia Desk Officer at the Estonian MFA, to discuss points in reftel. According to Kuusing, Foreign Minister Paet has not yet decided whether to issue a statement formally condemning Russian actions in Georgia. Paet is consulting with experts in the Ministry as well as members of the Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee (FAC) and will make a decision on a statement by April 22. Kuusing noted it is very unlikely that Estonia will issue a statement before the EU does. ¶2. (SBU) An editorial in the April 21 edition of Postimees, Estonia's largest circulation paper, however, criticized the Government of Estonia (GOE) for not yet officially condemning Russia's behavior in Georgia, pointing out that Georgia is one of Estonia's foreign policy priorities, and therefore, Estonia should be a stronger supporter of Georgian rights. DECKER