Estonia summoned the representative of the Russian Federation over the dispute on the Narva River

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia summoned the temporary chargé d’affaires of the Russian Federation, handing him a diplomatic note due to the border dispute on the Narva River.

This is reported by ERR with reference to the statement of the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The note says that since Russia has not agreed to alter the riverbed to clarify the course of the fairway, the course should be considered based on existing knowledge and practice.

“Through the decades of practice that has been in place until now, both sides have agreed on the current course of the fairway and, therefore, on the location of the provisional control line between Estonia and Russia. In addition, it made it possible to create clear and safe traffic zones for all vessels on the Narva River,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted.

This spring, Russia said it disagreed with the placement of about half of the 250 buoys planned for installation on the Narva River.

Also, on the night of May 23, Russian border guards removed 25 buoys installed in Estonian waters.

In July of this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia proposed to Russia to conduct a joint measurement of the bottom of the Narva River in order to resolve disagreements over the fairway, the axis of which is also the basis of the Estonian-Russian line of control. However, at the end of August, the Russian Federation refused this proposal.

As previously reported by USM, in October it became known that the Estonian Police and Border Guard Department (PPA) plans to test new types of water infrastructure on the sections of the Estonian-Russian border where there is the greatest threat of illegal crossing.