Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the Lord
(Proverbs 20:10)
The Estonian have been dwelling in their country for several thousand years. Yet they developed a state of their own at a very late stage. As a people, they are closely related to the Finns. Actually, only closely related people used to live around the gulf of Finland. But the Ingrian have been completely overwhelmed and assimilated by the Russian, who have colonized their land from Saint Petersburg. The Carelian had to flee before the Russian in 1940 and in 1944 and became refugees in inner Finland.
Most of Estonia was conquered by Denmark by the beginning of the XIIIth century. Tallinn, the present capital, means the town of the Danes. After having been sold to the Teutonic order, Estonia eventually became part of the kingdom of Sweden (Swedish was spoken in some Estonian islands until their inhabitants fled Russian tyranny at the end of the second world war).
Unfortunately, Estonia was eventually given up to Russia by defeated Sweden and the fate of the country was settled in the treaty of Nystad in 1721.
Yet the Russian revolution was used as an opportunity by the Estonian people to be freed from Russian occupation and the independence was proclaimed on 24 February 1918 in Tallinn.
The independence of Estonia was recognized by an international treaty between Russia and Estonia signed in Tartu/Dorpat' on 2 February 1920. This treaty is thus the piece of international law, which is relevant to define in which terms Estonia gained independence from her powerful neighbour.
Most of Estonia was conquered by Denmark by the beginning of the XIIIth century. Tallinn, the present capital, means the town of the Danes. After having been sold to the Teutonic order, Estonia eventually became part of the kingdom of Sweden (Swedish was spoken in some Estonian islands until their inhabitants fled Russian tyranny at the end of the second world war).
Unfortunately, Estonia was eventually given up to Russia by defeated Sweden and the fate of the country was settled in the treaty of Nystad in 1721.
Yet the Russian revolution was used as an opportunity by the Estonian people to be freed from Russian occupation and the independence was proclaimed on 24 February 1918 in Tallinn.
The independence of Estonia was recognized by an international treaty between Russia and Estonia signed in Tartu/Dorpat' on 2 February 1920. This treaty is thus the piece of international law, which is relevant to define in which terms Estonia gained independence from her powerful neighbour.
In Article II, Russia recognizes unreservedly the independence and sovereignty of Estonia: "In consequence of the right of all peoples to self-determination, to
the point of seceding completely from the State of which they form
part, a right proclaimed by the Socialist and Federal Russian
Republic of the Soviets, Russia unreservedly recognises the
independence and sovereignty of the State of Estonia, and renounces
voluntarily and for ever all sovereign rights possessed by Russia
over the Estonian people and territory whether these rights be based
on the juridical position that formerly existed in public law, or in
the international treaties which, in the sense here indicated, lose
their validity in future.
From the fact that Esthonia has belonged to Russia, no obligation
whatsoever will fall on the Estonian people and land to Russia".
Article III is very important since it defines very precisely the tracing of the border between Russia and Estonia: "
1. The frontier between Esthonia and Russia follows the following
line:
Starting from the Bay of Narva, one verst south of the Fishers’
House, it turns toward Ropscha, then follows the course of the Rivers
Mertvitskaja and Rosson, as far as the village of Ilkino, from Ilkino
one verst west of the village Keikino, half a verst west of the
village of Isvosi and turns towards the village of Kobõljaki; it
then crosses the mouth of the river Schtschutschka, passes by Krivaja
Luka, by the estate of Petschurki, to the confluence of three sources
of the river Vtroja, follows the southern boundary of the village of
Kuritschek with its dependences, then turns in a straight line as far
as the centre line of the Lake Peipus, follows it in a southern
direction, and thus passes one verst to the east of Piirisaar (Pork);
follows the narrow strip of the lake dividing it along the middle as
far as the island of Salu, thence passes through Lake Pihkva (Pskov)
between the Islands of Talabski and the Island of Kamonka, then to
the east of the village of Poddubje (on the southern bank of Lake
Pihkva) and to the outlook post on the railway situated near to
Grjardischtsche, then passes successively to the west of the Village
of Schahintsõi, to the east of Novaja, across the Lake Poganova,
between the villages of Babina and Vomorski, to one verst and a half
to the south of the Forestry keeper’s house (which is situated to
the north of Glybotschina) to Sprechtitschi and to the Farm Kudepi.
There were some more provisions about the bordering areas on both sides of the frontier:
2. The portion of the territory of Esthonia to the east of the
Narova, the River Narova itself, and the islands in the midst of the
stream, as well as the zone to the south of Lake Pihkva, which is
situated between the boundary above mentioned and the line of
villages, Borok-Smolni-Belkova-Sprechtitschi, will be, from a
military point of view, considered as neutral until 1 January
1922.
Esthonia undertakes to maintain no troops of any kind in the
neutralized zones other than those which are necessary for the
frontier service and the maintenance of order, and of which the
strength is laid down in Annex 2 of the present Article; not to
construct fortifications or observation posts, nor to constitute
military depots, nor to deposit any kind of war material whatsoever
with the exception of what is indispensable for the effectives
allowed for; nor to establish ther bases or depots for the use of any
kind of vessels, or of any kind of aerial fleet.
3. Russia for her part undertakes not to maintain troops in the
region of Pskov to the west of the line: western bank of the mouth of
Velikaja, the villages of Sivtseva, Luhnova, Samulina, Schalki and
Sprechtitschi until 1 January 1922, which are indispensable for
the frontier service and for the maintenance of order and for the
effectives provided for in Annex 2 of the present Article.
4. The contracting parties undertake to have no armed vessels
whatsoever on Lakes Peipus and Pihkva.
A map was attached to the treaty showing the actual tracing of the international frontier between the two countries (black line on the map).
Basing on the treaty of Tartu, the independence of Estonia was recognized by most independent countries at that time.
The Russian occupation was violent. Thousand of people were deported to Siberia. Many died in the trains, many in the camps.
As nazi Germany invaded the Baltic countries in 1941, freedom failed of course to be restored. Deportations, notably of Jews, followed the deportations perpetrated by the red criminals. Those came back at the end of 1944 in a completely despaired Estonia. Many thousands fled to the USA, Sweden and other free countries. Many of those who had remained in the country were deported to Russia.
On 24 November 1944, the Praesidium of the USSR decided to annex to Russia territories in the region of Setumaa with the town of Petseri (2334 km2). Some more 700 km2 were annexed to Russia in 1953.
Yet no civilized country had recognized the illegal occupation of Estonia based on Russia's agreement with Hitler. These annexations could therefore only be regarded as null and void. The only valid peace of international Law relevant to the border between Russia and Estonia remained the treaty of Tartu.
During the long years of occupation, Russia exposed Estonia to fierce colonization. The Estonian were prevented to come back to certain areas, the right bank of Narva for instance, and lots of Russian settlers were spread all over the country with the aim of assimilating it to Russia.
As Estonia eventually recovered her freedom and her independence on 20 August 1991, she legitimately claimed back the restoration of the country within her international frontier resulting from the Treaty of Tartu.
However, Russia cynically objected that the boundary had to take into account the Russian settlement, that is to say the Russian policy of eradication of the Estonian presence from its land perpetrated by the communist dictatorship.
Russia, which has always be talented in propaganda, brought about to discredit Estonia as hostile to minorities in the eyes of Westerners, who only perfunctorily know facts and history.
International pressures made Latvia to recognize the frontier unilaterally traced by the USSR, thus renouncing to Abrene. The situation was similar for Estonia. Yet, Russia failed to ratify a new treaty recognizing as international boundary the line resulting from the Soviet unilateral annexations.
As a result, the frontier of the treaty of Tartu remains the sole internationally valid frontier between Estonia and Russia.
Thus Russia is the illegal occupant of the right bank of the Narva and the region of Satumaa.
The occupied territories are in blue on the map.
In view of an occupation that has been lasting for 76 years now with a fierce policy of Russian settlements in areas which legally belong to Estonia, why is there so little support for Estonia? Should the territories in blue not be subject to specific labelling? Should it not be consistent and fair?
More material on Estonia's legal boundaries below
Estonia before the USSR aggression
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