The authorities of Estonia apparently decided they have nothing to do with Modest Kolerov, an official from the presidential administration of Russia.
Photo: Ilya Pitalev
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Kolerov Denied Estonian Visa
Modest Kolerov, who heads the Russian presidential department for interregional and cultural ties with foreign countries, has been denied Estonian visa with no reasons provided.
Kolerov was invited to Estonia by local governments of Narva, Kokhtla-Yarve and Sillamyae, where the population speaks mostly Russian, but failed to get the visa. The visa was just delayed due to technical reasons, the officials of Estonian Foreign Ministry said at first.
Kolerov claimed to the contrary, specifying he had received an official denial from the Consul of Estonia. Russia’s foreign ministry didn’t miss the chance to blame the failure of Kolerov’s visit on Estonia.
The diplomatic clashes caused by the visa refusal to high-ranked officials are not rare in relations of Estonia and Russia. In past November, Russia’s Foreign Ministry denied the visa to Foreign Minister of Estonia Urmas Paet, who was willing to attend a round table on the border cooperation of EU and Russia in St. Petersburg. The refusal was explained by the insufficiently high level of the event.
In case of Kolerov, the refusal might have rooted in activities of his department, which prime concern is to maintain Russia’s influence on the territory of the former Soviet Union.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 08, 2006
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