The Estonian Parliament did not support the bill to close the border with Russia
The Parliament of Estonia (Illustrative photo: Valda Lalnina/EPA)
In a session held on Thursday, March 20, the Estonian Parliament (Riigikogu) declined to endorse a proposal aimed at closing the border with Russia, as reported by Estonian broadcaster ERR.
The Parliament dismissed a bill put forth by the Isamaa party, which aimed to direct the government to close the Estonian-Russian border.
The proposal from Isamaa garnered support from 14 lawmakers, while 61 others opposed it. Consequently, the bill was not passed.
Urmas Reinsalu, the leader of Isamaa, defended the initiative by citing various hybrid threats that he claims Russia has orchestrated against Estonia and its allied nations.
He believes that, considering the present security climate, it is sensible to close the border between Estonia and Russia, asserting that the security services and the Estonian government possess the necessary technical capabilities and legal authority to implement such measures.
Isamaa is a conservative political entity in Estonia, established in 2006. It presently holds 10 out of 101 seats in the national parliament.
- On December 26, 2024, Finnish authorities apprehended the oil tanker Eagle S, associated with Russia’s shadow fleet, on suspicions of having caused damage to the Estlink 2 underwater electrical cable linked to Estonia.
- On January 3, 2025, the Estonian government allocated 100 million euros for the development of a new gas-fired power plant to bolster the nation’s energy security.
