Baltic States – CIS, Estonia, Latvia, Legislation, Russia

Marina Kaljurand and Edgars Rinkevics. Riga, 19.08.2015. Photo: flickr.com

After a meeting with the new Foreign Minister of Estonia Marina Kaljurand, Rinkevics told members of the press that Latvia from the very first day has emphasized that Kohver was illegally kidnapped from Estonian and has continued to express condemnation. At the same time, Rinkevics said that he also discussed this matter with his Russian counterpart during his visit to Moscow earlier this year.

At the same time, Rinkevics also said that work must continue together with Estonian colleagues, to make sure a common EU position is reached on this matter and there is uninterrupted political pressure put on Russia by the EU.

Meanwhile, Kaljurand personally thanked all Latvian officials and residents who have actively expressed concern on the Kohver matter. She also condemned the Russian court ruling and called for his immediate release.

''Unfortunately, political condemnation has not been able to secure his release. We do not intend to stop and we will continue working hard to secure Kohver's release,'' she said, adding that this is not just a matter between Estonia and Russia, as no country can be safe that a similar incident will not repeat itself.

As reported, a Russian court on Wednesday sentenced an Estonian policeman to 15 years in jail on espionage charges in a move slammed by Moscow's tiny NATO-member neighbor, the AFP news agency reports.

A court in the western Pskov region, which borders Estonia, sentenced Eston Kohver on charges of spying, weapon possession and illegally crossing the border, his court-appointed lawyer, Yevgeny Aksyonov, told AFP.

Prosecutors claimed Kohver was detained on Russian territory last September as he carried out an undercover operation.

Tallinn, however, accuses Moscow's FSB security service of kidnapping the law enforcement officer at gunpoint from Estonian territory as he was investigating cross-border crime.

"The abduction of Eston Kohver from the territory of the Republic of Estonia by the FSB on 5 September and his unlawful detainment in Russia thereafter constitute a blatant breach of international law," Estonian Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand said in a statement. "Today's judgement does not change our position. We call on Russia to immediately release Eston Kohver."

Tensions between Russia and Estonia have soared over Russia's seizure of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and alleged backing of pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Many in Estonia believe the timing of Kohver's arrest was deliberate, coming just two days after US President Barack Obama visited Tallinn to trumpet Baltic security following Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis.

The Estonian foreign minister slammed Kohver's trial, saying there had been "no fair administration of justice in the proceedings".

"Our consul was not allowed to be present at the hearings and Eston Kohver was deprived of adequate legal aid," Kaljurand said.

In his social media post on Wednesday, President Toomas Hendrik Ilves called upon people to wear yellow ribbons to express support for Security Police Officer Eston Kohver, writes Postimees Online.

“My dear friends, let us support Eston Kohver and his family, and tomorrow, on the anniversary of restoration of independence in Estonia, let us wear yellow ribbons,” wrote the Estonian President.