Opposition party Isamaa on Tuesday initiated a bill which would, if it passed, fully close the border with Russia, citing ongoing security concerns and provocations by the eastern neighbor.

Isamaa chair Urmas Reinsalu noted the example of Finland, which has fully closed its lengthy border with Russia, and discussions ongoing in Latvia and Lithuania on doing the same.

However, this would not be needed in Estonia, Taro said. "In my assessment, it would be a specific countermeasure in response to some kind of activity," Taro told ERR on Wednesday.

His rationale was that border checkpoints are functioning normally, while Estonia has significantly restricted migration from Russia already. Measures such as the imposition of full customs control have also considerably limited trade traffic, he said.

On the other hand, the border has been kept partly open for humanitarian reasons, to enable those with close relatives living on the other side of the border to visit them.

In any case, if the security situation were to deteriorate further still, the border can be closed very quickly, he said. "If something should change, then it can be done very quickly," Taro noted.

Latvia and Lithuania opting to close their borders would, however, act as pressure for Estonia to follow suit. Either way, close consultation with friendly nations in the region is key.

"Any joint decision would have to be made in such a way that Estonia would also be involved in that decision. And the situation we have right now, where we have kept our border points open, also partly stems from such international consultation and cooperation," Taro commented.

The minister said that in the case of Finland, migratory pressure was the major factor: Russia had been funneling illegal migrants towards the border with Finland with a view to crossing it.

In Estonia, there has only been one such incident, where Russia directed a group of migrants to cross the Estonian border. However, the border checkpoint was closed, and the group of migrants could not pass from the midway point of the bridge of the Narva River, which demarcates the northeastern border. "In that sense, we showed that this does not work in our case," Taro said, meaning full closure.

"We always assess the situation and cooperate with our neighbors. We certainly do not get out of step with our neighbors, nor do we act in a way uncoordinated with them. Everything we have done, we have done based both on Estonia's security situation and on cooperation with our neighbors," he added.

The recent incursion of nearly 20 Russian drones deep into Polish territory has brought the security of the border and NATO's eastern flank back under the spotlight.

Estonia's eastern border is sometimes referred to as a temporary control line. This is not because temporary border checks are in place which weren't earlier, but rather since the current de facto eastern border has not been ratified by the parliaments of either country. The original 1920 Treaty of Tartu border, however, lay somewhat to the east of the present-day border.

--

Follow ERR News on Facebook and X and never miss an update!