Estonian Foreign Affairs Committee Visits Moscow for the First Time in Nine Years

A delegation from Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee has arrived in Moscow for the start of a three-day official visit with Russian MPs, the first parliamentary-level visit to the country in nine years.

Committee Chairman Marko Mihkelson said the visit is the normal continuation of the dialogue between the two countries' parliaments which were resumed by the visit to Estonia in November by Mikhail Margelov, Head of the Russian Federation Council's Foreign Affairs Committee, ETV reported.

In addition to holding discussions with Margelov, the four-member delegation will meet State Duma's International Affairs Committee Chairman Aleksey Pushkov and former Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov.

According to Mihkelson, the purpose of the visit is to improve parliamentary relations and revisit unfinished mutual agreements, with the border treaty talks being a priority.

The visit comes on the heels of a rare meeting between the two countries' prime ministers at the Baltic Sea Forum forum in St. Petersburg last Friday. Mihkelson, however, cautioned against interpreting the timing of the two meetings as a breakthrough, noting that the parliamentary visit was the result of a long-term effort.

Original source: EER Estonian Public Broadcasting