Seminar report on Baltic-Russian Relations
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Subject: Seminar report on Baltic-Russian Relations
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Seminar report on Baltic-Russian Relations
Baltic-Russian Relations in the New Geopolitical Framework
Novgorod, Russia
May 15-16, 1998
Preface
Nowhere is the uncertain and shifting relationship between
post-Communist Russia and the West more sharply manifested than in the
Baltic region. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, until only a few years
ago parts of the Soviet empire, now lie on the other side of Russia's
border with northern Europe.
Among the republics of the former Soviet Union that have become
independent, the Baltic countries are on the fastest track toward
inclusion in Western institutions and alliances. The support and
sympathy that they receive from Scandinavia, Western Europe, and the
United States, as well as the relative success of their political and
economic reforms, increasingly make them part of an outside world with
which Russia, struggling for a place in the new Europe, must compare
itself. It is no wonder that Russia and the Baltic countries see the
world very differently, or that they are prone to argue so bitterly
about the long trail of grievances and countergrievances accumulated
during the Soviet era.
All of this is immeasurably complicated by the presence--especially in
Estonia and Latvia--of large numbers of ethnic Russians (in some
locations a majority of the population), many of whom settled in the
Baltics during Soviet days. The Balts, understandably, have wished to
restore or reassert the use of their own languages after many decades
of "Russianization." But the insistence on using fluency in the
national language as a criterion for citizenship, and other barriers
to citizenship for ethnic Russians, have led to charges by Moscow and
leaders of the Russian communities that Russians are being subjected
to discrimination and even human-rights violations. The result has
been internal tension between Russians and the national populations
and external tension between the Baltic countries and Russia.
Although the prodding of the international community has recently led
to modifications in some of the more exclusionary citizenship
provisions, the tension persists over such questions as separate
education in the Russian language. Moreover, Moscow continues to view
with alarm (some would say primarily for domestic political reasons)
the status of ethnic Russians living in these former Soviet republics.
On the other side, politicians and officials of the Baltic countries
accuse Moscow of exaggerating the problems and of constantly
reiterating Russian demands in order to reassert a kind of colonial
control.
Formal negotiations over these issues between Russia and her Baltic
neighbors have been only sporadic and have so far failed to lead to
comprehensive resolutions of the disputes. Against this background,
the Project on Ethnic Relations agreed to launch a series of
face-to-face discussions between politicians and officials of the
Baltic countries and those of the northwestern provinces of Russia. We
reasoned that those with strong regional interests in their neighbors
across the border would be more amenable than the central authorities
to finding practical, working-level compromises and solutions.
The meeting that is reported here was the first in the series. It took
place in Novgorod - one of the major centers of Russia's northwestern
region - in May 1998, and it brought together Russian and Baltic
political leaders and officials (including leaders of the Baltic
Russian communities) and officials from the several Russian
northwestern provinces. Also joining the discussion were
representatives of the Scandinavian countries, the United States, and
European organizations. As the reader will see, emotions at the
meeting ran high, but there was a common recognition that this kind of
dialogue is a prerequisite not only for improving
atmospherics but also for finding practical ways in which Russia's
northwestern region can cooperate with its Baltic neighbors.
So far as we know, this meeting was the first occasion on which
high-level Russians and Balts met for face-to-face discussions of
their differences outside the constraints of formal diplomatic
settings. While the list of disputes was not new, the openness and
frankness of the exchanges were. All the participants agreed that this
was an important contribution to enlarging each side's understanding
of the motivations and sentiments that lie behind the issues.
The Project on Ethnic Relations has already moved to fulfill one of
the recommendations that emerged from the talks in Novgorod. In
October 1998, Russian and Baltic journalists gathered in Tallinn,
Estonia, to consider how to enlarge the scope of their mutual coverage
and to avoid ethnically biased reporting. Another early result of the
meeting was the appointment of two of the participants from Russia to
serve on a presidential committee in one of the Baltic countries to
review the historical legacy of the Soviet rule. Meanwhile, plans have
been made to continue the political dialogue that began in Novgorod
with follow-up discussions in the Baltic countries.
The Project on Ethnic Relations is grateful to Milan Panic and ICN
Pharmaceuticals for their generosity in hosting a reception for the
participants and to the governor of Novgorod and the Novgorod Regional
Administration for providing logistical support for the meeting.
We are also pleased to acknowledge the partnership role of the Russian
Public Policy Center in conceiving and organizing the meeting. (The
head of the center, Dr. Alexei M. Salmin, is a member of PER�s Council
for Ethnic Accord.) Boris I. Makarenko, deputy director general of the
Center for Political Technologies, was very helpful is planning
Russian participation in the meeting. Alex N. Grigor'ev, PER program
officer, was responsible for organization on the American side.
Robert Nurick of the RAND Corporation not only prepared this report,
but also was extremely helpful in planning the meeting. Robert A.
Feldmesser, PER's senior editor, together with Alex Grigor'ev, edited
the report. PER is solely responsible for its contents, which have not
been reviewed by the participants.
Allen H. Kassof, President
Livia B. Plaks, Executive Director
Princeton, New Jersey
November 1998
-------------------
Summary
The meeting reported here took place in Novgorod, Russia, May 15-16,
1998. It was the first in a series organized by the Project on Ethnic
Relations. The goal of the series is to provide a neutral forum for
policy-makers and officials from Russia and their Baltic and
Scandinavian neighbors to discuss issues of regional security and
interethnic and bilateral relations. Such dialogue has an important
place in the larger framework of Euro-Atlantic relations.
The most confrontational issues at the meeting concerned the status of
the Russian-speaking communities in Estonia and Latvia and the related
problem of the legacy of Soviet rule in the Baltics. Russian
participants and participants representing the Russian-speaking
communities in the Baltic countries contended that Baltic ethnic
nationalism and its goal of building "monoethnic" states had led to a
condition of "statelessness" for the majority of ethnic Russians in
Estonia and Latvia. They pointed out that the Russophone communities
are becoming increasingly frustrated at what they see as their
diminishing economic and political rights. Russian participants urged
Estonia and Latvia to grant official status to the Russian language.
In addition, they stressed that the policies toward Russian-speakers
in those countries have seriously eroded support for the governments
of Estonia and Latvia among Russian democrats.
Baltic participants tended to emphasize the detrimental effects of
fifty years of Soviet rule. They said Russians were remnants of that
rule, and they maintained that integration of the Russian-speaking
populations into their societies must include not merely citizenship
but a command of the state language and full participation in the
respective nation's political and social life. West European and U.S.
participants made positive assessments of the steps taken by the
Baltic governments toward integration of their Russian-speaking
countrymen, but they also urged the Baltic states to implement more
fully the recommendations made by the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe.
While the Russian participants see the core regional problem as lying
in the domestic situation of the Baltic countries, the Balts consider
the major difficulty in bilateral relations between Russia and the
Baltic states. All the Baltic participants spoke of their strong
desire to rejoin the West as soon as possible, but the Russian
participants found it difficult to accept that orientation. They
agreed with the view in Moscow that NATO was an anti-Russian military
and political bloc and that inclusion of the Baltic states in NATO was
aimed against Russia.
The Balts declared that NATO membership was necessary for their
security. They realize that membership will take time and resources,
as well as simultaneous efforts to improve relations with Russia. The
task for the Baltic countries, therefore, is to demonstrate that their
accession to NATO need not run counter to Russian interests. Several
participants underscored the importance of Russia�s developing ties
with NATO and expressed the hope that Russia would take full advantage
of the opportunities to participate in the Partnership for Peace
activities and the Permanent Joint Council. Most Russian participants
agreed, and they did not object to the desire of the Baltic countries
to join the European Union.
Russians and Balts agreed that the border treaties between their
countries should be finalized and signed as soon as possible. This
would significantly improve regional security and the level of trust
between them.
Participants also discussed the place of economic ties in
Russian-Baltic relations. They recognized that there is considerable
economic interdependence between the Russian northwestern regions and
their neighbors in this part of Europe. Economic relations in the
region need further improvement, and the EU's "northern dimension" and
the work of the Council of Baltic Sea States may make a major
contribution toward the end.
There was considerable interest among conference participants in the
prospects for confidence-building measures. Several Russian
participants proposed enhanced cooperation in the military sphere.
Other participants spoke of easing the visa procedures for Russians
traveling to the Baltics and other ways of increasing cross-border
activities. Participants also expressed support for initiatives that
might be undertaken at the local or regional level, such as rural
development, environmental problems, media exchanges and training,
cultural exchanges, education, fighting crime and terrorism, and
"sister-city" relationships. Both Russians and Balts welcomed the
growing importance of the Council of Baltic Sea States as a forum for
discussing and organizing cross-border cooperation in general.
The meeting did not produce an agreed-upon set of recommendations.
However, the participants did agree that it would be useful to
continue this kind of dialogue. Therefore, PER will organize a second
meeting in one of the Baltic capitals early in 1999.
...............
-------------------
(From the moderator: the full text of the report is available at the
PER web site at http://www.websp.com/~ethnic/novgorod.htm.
Boris)
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