PACE President urges Estonians: ‘don’t forget the past, but look to the future’

Strasbourg, 20.09.2007 – “Don’t forget the past, but look to the future,” the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), René van der Linden, has urged his hosts during an official visit to Estonia (18-20 September 2007).

“Estonia has had a painful past, and I congratulate the country and its people on achieving full integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures. There is no better guarantee for the future. But the most important challenge now is to fully integrate the Russian-speaking population, which should have the full range of rights and opportunities enjoyed by all European citizens,” the President said.

Mr van der Linden met Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Foreign Minister Urmas Paet, and Riigikogu Speaker Ene Ergma, among others, as well as holding question-and-answer sessions with NGOs representing minorities and students.

The President encouraged the authorities to continue their efforts to improve the situation of stateless persons. “A significant part of the population of a European Union country cannot remain stateless. This integration should not be limited to citizenship, but be accompanied by active measures at citizen level to encourage voluntary integration, avoid any discrimination in the labour market and promote language-learning.”

He invited the authorities to contribute to creating a Europe “without dividing lines” and urged them to use dialogue to defuse any possible tensions.

Referring to Estonia’s relations with Russia, the President said it was in the interest of both countries to invest heavily in their relationship. “A broader and deeper partnership with Russia is necessary to peace, stability and progress in the whole of Europe.”

He reiterated that any attempt to glorify criminal regimes should never be tolerated in any Council of Europe member state, recalling that he had been at the origin of a PACE resolution which condemned the crimes of totalitarian communist regimes.

Mr van der Linden continues his Baltic tour with visits to Latvia (20-22 September) and Lithuania (22-24 September).