Powered By Blogger

19 May, 2017


✔︎ "If you are only fighting about tweets, if you don’t have time to follow what’s happening in the world, that’s really disturbing.” 
- An anonymous EU Minister


✔︎ Viis saladuslikku Eestimaa lossi, kuhu nüüd saab sisse piiluda
(Maakodu)
[Suuremõisa, Luke, Sillapää, Arkna, ja Saare]
—
- Palmse mõis


✔︎ "Eestis ei tea just paljud - ja ei saa ka kunagi teadma - kõigist neist asjust, mida Soome Eesti jaoks teinud on.” 
- Soome president Mauno Koivisto kes suri ära eelmisel nädalal


- EstoNews 2014 thru 2017 Archive:


_____________

Friday 19. May
_____________


✔︎ Trump’s NATO Article 5 problem
(Brookings Institute - Thomas Wright)
"The Brussels mini-summit is supposed to affirm the relevance of the alliance in the Trump era but there is a risk that it could severely undermine it. President Trump is the only American president since NATO’s founding who has not explicitly endorsed Article 5. His vice president and his secretary of defense have but he has not. If he fails to do so in Brussels, it could raise grave doubts about the credibility of the American security guarantee and provide Russia with an incentive to probe vulnerable Baltic states.”
—
"Compare this with Trump’s predecessor. President Obama went to Estonia in 2014 and said:
“I say to the people of Estonia and the people of the Baltics, today we are bound by our treaty Alliance. We have a solemn duty to each other. Article 5 is crystal clear: An attack on one is an attack on all. So if, in such a moment, you ever ask again, ‘who will come to help,’ you’ll know the answer—the NATO Alliance, including the Armed Forces of the United States of America.”
--
"One can criticize President Obama’s Russia policy but he understood the sacred importance of Article 5."

✔︎ Background: Articles on Obama’s 2014 trip to Tallinn
(EstoNews - Sept. 2014) 



- Abandon the 2% Obsession: A new rating for pulling your weight in NATO
(War on the Rocks)
"Unfortunately, the 2 percent standard does not meet the burden-sharing needs of the alliance. It is a political, flawed, and narrow metric. Further, if the current trend of rising European defense spending continues, the 2 percent threshold will become less and less relevant as all states move toward that mark. That means NATO will have to define a new and improved burden-sharing indicator."



- President Kaljulaid: 'I don’t believe that Russia would attack a NATO country’
(Deutsche Welle)
"I don't believe Russia would attack a NATO country or NATO as such, no matter which country we are talking about. You can not divide security; NATO security space is indivisible."



- Germany’s Foreign Minister: ‘America First’ Means Supporting Europe
(Foreign Policy)
"Ahead of President Donald Trump’s first NATO meeting and G-7 summit, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel came to Washington, D.C. with a message: If “America First” means anything, it means putting European security at the top of the agenda."



- NATO critic to write Trump NATO speech
(The Hill | BuzzFeed)
"Trump has tapped Stephen Miller, a senior adviser at the White House and an outspoken NATO critic, to draft his speech before the military alliance in Brussels next week ...”
--
"The prospect of a speech penned by the 31-year-old anti-globalist adds a new layer of anxiety for NATO allies uncertain about which version of Donald Trump will show up in Belgium’s capital: The one that believes NATO is “no longer obsolete” or the one that thinks the 28-member military alliance is a relic of the past."
—
[Stephen Miller is credited with authoring the president's “American carnage” inaugural address.]
--



- EU: European leaders fear Trump’s political chaos is undermining U.S. power
(Washington Post)
"I’m getting increasingly worried that this internal chaos in the United States is growing to an unimaginable scale,” one European minister said. “And that may grow into security and defense policy. If you are only fighting about tweets, if you don’t have time to follow what’s happening in the world, that’s really disturbing.”
—
“The spilling of secrets by the president is getting worse every day,” a Western European diplomat said.”
—
"Trump has managed to provoke a healthy European debate on the transatlantic relationship,” said Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the former NATO secretary general. “In the past we took it for granted.”

- EU left in dark as Trump shares intel with Russia
(Politico-Europe - 17. May)



- NATO Tries to Trump-Proof President’s First Visit
(Foreign Policy | Spiegel)
"The alliance is telling heads of state to limit talks to two to four minutes at a time during the discussion… 
—
“It’s kind of ridiculous how they are preparing to deal with Trump,” said one source briefed extensively on the meeting’s preparations. “It’s like they’re preparing to deal with a child - someone with a short attention span and mood who has no knowledge of NATO, no interest in in-depth policy issues, nothing,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity."
--

- Trump under pressure to assure NATO allies he has their back
(Reuters)
"Trump plans to dedicate a memorial to the invocation of Article 5 at the new NATO headquarters."



_____________

Thursday 18. May
_____________


- Speaker of Russian upper house ‘waiting' for Estonia on border treaty
(ERR)
"Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko has placed the responsibility for moving forward with the ratification of the Estonian-Russian border treaty on Estonia, stating that Moscow has done everything needed for its ratification. "We have done everything necessary to regulate this topic.”
—
"It was not clear from the report what Matviyenko meant by "signing," as both countries have already signed the border agreements, which now need to be ratified, a process in which Estonia has progressed further than Russia.
—
"Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs Leonid Slutsky said in October 2016, following the Duma elections in Russia, that the Duma might ratify the border treaties with Estonia before the end of the year. No concrete steps have yet been taken in the Duma to do so, however."



- Fotod: sellised majad kerkivad Tartu uude elamurajooni
(Postimees)



- Number of home solar power producers on the rise
(Postimees)
"Leading power network operator Elektrilevi's magnanimity in connecting small producers to the grid has resulted in such a fevered campaign of installing solar panels that Estonia could have more solar plants that motorcycles in a decade's time."



- US and EU reject laptop ban to flights from Europe
(BBC)
"Steve Landells, a safety expert at the British Airline Pilots Association, said there was a greater risk of lithium battery fires if larger devices were kept in an aircraft's hold. "Given the risk of fire from these devices when they are damaged or they short circuit, an incident in the cabin would be spotted earlier and this would enable the crew to react quickly before any fire becomes uncontainable."


 
- Baltic Sea: Unexpected Nazi-era legacy - Fish tumors
(Deutsche Welle)
"Weaponry dumped in the sea at the end of World War II is leaching chemicals toxic to fish and people. … German researchers have uncovered a 25 percent incidence of tumors among a type of flatfish inhabiting one area of the Baltic Sea, close to the northern German city of Kiel."
--
"They believe the cancerous growths found on the species known as the common dab could be linked to the estimated 1.6 million tons of armaments that were dumped at the bottom of the Baltic and North Seas at the end of World War II.”
—
"Most of the chemical munitions were sunk in deep areas of the Baltic, around the Bornholm and Gotland basins. But some were dumped in shallower waters."



- European Commission calls on Estonia to find solution to accept migrants from Italy
(Baltic Times)

- Lithuania Opens Door to Gay Chechens Fleeing Persecution
(Foreign Policy)




_____________

Wednesday 17. May
_____________


✔︎ XII noorte laulu- ja tantsupeo täielikku kava
30. juuni - 2. juuli 2017
(Postimees)
—



- Eestis oli Euroopa Liidu kiireim hinnatõus
(Postimees)
"Kõige kõrgemad olid aastased inflatsioonimäärad aprillis 3,6 protsenti Eestis, 3,5 protsenti Leedus ja 3,3 protsenti Lätis. Piim, piimatooted ja munad on Eestis aastaga kallinenud ligi üheksa protsenti, suhkur ja kondiitritooted üle kuue ja värske puuvili üle seitsme protsendi."



- Kontaveit lükkas maailma esireketi auti 6:4, 6:0
(ERR | Postimees | Delfi)
—
—

- Anett Kontaveit conquers Kerber for career best win in Rome
(WTA)



- Can Europe Deal With Cyberattacks?
(Carnegie Europe)
[Nearly a dozen experts were asked for answers to this question. Toomas Hendrik Ilves was one of them.]








_____________

Tuesday 16. May
_____________


- Soome kaitseminister ei lubaks riiki Eestile appi tulevaid NATO vägesid
(ERR)
"Soome valmistub kaitsma oma territooriumi ega lase sinna kedagi võõrast. Eesti kaitselahendus on NATO. Eesti julgeoleku tagaja on NATO liikmelisus. Soomel selliseid julgeolekutagatisi ei ole. Üldse ei maksa julgeolekupoliitikas vastata küsimustele, mis algavad "kui-ga". Vastavalt olukorrale kaitseb Soome oma territooriumi ja täidab EL liikmena võetud kohustusi."



- Russian hybrid warfare: The view from Estonia
(Edward Lucas)
"Technology is creating new threats, not just fake news, but fake audio, pictures and soon fake video: convincing computer-generated footage of politicians saying and doing things which bear no relation to reality."
—
 "We focus too much on what Russia does, and not enough on what they exploit. We need to look more at ourselves.”
--
"The great weakness of the West in dealing with our adversaries is that we respond to the part of the problem that we see most easily, with the tools that we have to hand. That may give us a satisfying feeling that we are doing something. It does not mean that we are making ourselves safer."



- No One Denies Soviet Army Defeated Hitler but Russians Won’t Admit It Occupied Those It Liberated
(Paul Goble)
"The anger Ukrainians, Balts and other East Europeans feel is the direct result of Russia continuing to “assert that it was only a liberator” and nothing else just as today Moscow insists that “there are no Russian soldiers in the Donbass” and that theya re in Syria “only to help the toiling people.” 
--
  “It is time,” Ross argues, “to honestly admit that the Soviet Red Army having liberated became an occupier.” Taking that skeleton out of the closet will allow everyone to breathe easier. But even more, she says, “until we do this, Russia will not have a future” because “Russians will not understand why other peoples are so negatively inclined toward them.”




_____________

Monday 15. May
_____________

- Mis saab Narva muuseumist
(ERR - "AK. Nädal”)
"Pool aastat on olnud õhus Narva muuseumi saatus. Sel neljapäeval toimuval Narva linnavolikogu istungil peaks saabuma selgus, kas muuseumile antakse ellujäämiseks nii vajalik raha, mille linn mullu külmutas."



- Idapiiri ehitustööd on olulise sammu jagu edasi liikunud
(Lõunaleht - 8. mai)
"Maismaapiiri tähistamise tööd on jõudnud lõpusirgele – Eesti Vabariigi ja Vene Föderatsiooni 556 piiripostist on paigaldatud 535 piiriposti ja vahepiiriposti, piir on puhastatud ning rajamisel on kaks katselõiku. „Politsei- ja Piirivalveamet on teinud väljapaistvalt professionaalset tööd piiri välja ehitamisel,“ ütles peaminister Ratas ja lisas, et kogemus, mis piiri välja ehitamisel on saadud on hindamatu ning tulevikus on võimalik ekspertiisi jagada ka teistele."



- Ex-President Koivisto had secretly funnelled money to support Estonian independence
(Yle)
"During his term as Finnish President, recently-departed statesman Mauno Koivisto faced harsh criticism for not supporting Estonia's bid for independence more openly. Koivisto actually disguised aid to Finland's southern neighbour as cultural cooperation, to avoid the ire of Moscow. He kept quiet about it until his death."



- Finland: Ex-President Mauno Koivisto dies at 93
(Yle)
"Koivisto was president from 1982 until 1994, leading the country through its application to join the European Union and the break-up of the Soviet Union."
—

- Koivisto ajal tegutses Soomes Eesti asjade minister
(Postimees)
"Eestis ei tea just paljud - ja ei saa ka kunagi teadma - kõigist neist asjust, mida Soome Eesti jaoks teinud on.”



- Eestisse jõudnud Soome pioneerirühma juht: meil on plaan ka tulevikus Kevadtormile tulla
(Delfi)
"Soome pioneeripataljoni ülema kolonelleitnant Tero Savoneni sõnul on Kevadtormil osalemine nende üksuse jaoks äärmiselt oluline, sest pakub võimalusi üksteiselt õppimiseks."
--
"Saame siin täiendada enda üksuse toimimist ja ka oma teadmisi erineva pioneeritehnika valdkonnas," ütles kolonelleitnant Savonen. "Meil on plaan ka tulevikus Kevadtormile tulla."



- Intervjuu: Federica Mogherini
(ERR)
[Current High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.]




_____________

Sunday 14. May
_____________


- Moskva korraldagu Zapad-2017 läbipaistvalt
(ERR)
"Euroopa maavägede ülem kindralleitnant Ben Hodges kutsus laupäeval Venemaad korraldama tänavust suurõppust Zapad-2017 võimalikult läbipaistvalt. "Selles, et Venemaa korraldab õppusi, pole midagi valesti. Me kõik teeme seda."



- Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges stresses importance of flexible deterrence in crisis prevention
(ERR)
"There is nothing wrong with Russia having exercises; we all do it," he pointed out. "This time there seems to be more interest throughout Europe about Zapad and what it consists of. Our recommendation is that Russia should offer to be as transparent as the Western exercises are."



- Estonian Catholics celebrate the Fatima centenary
(Vatican Radio - 12. May)
“In 1993, Pope John Paul II visited the country, and it was the first papal visit in Estonian history, shortly after Estonia declared formal independence. After the collapse of Soviet Union, people in Estonia believe that the fall of Soviet communism, particularly in Eastern Europe, was the work of Pope John Paul II,” said Marge-Marie Paas, press representative for the Catholic Church in Estonia, though she hastened to point out that Pope St. John Paul II attributed the fall to the intercession of Our Lady of Fatima."
—
"The present-day Estonian Roman Catholic Church, has nearly 6000 Catholics."



- Fitch Ratings Affirms Estonia at 'A+'; Outlook Stable
(Reuters - India Edition)




_____________

- Off Topic -
_____________


✔︎ Interview: Condoleezza Rice
(Politico - audio and text)
[She was the former US Secretary of State (2005–2009) and a specialist on Russia and the Soviet Union.] 


- Assessing Russian Activities and Intentions in Recent US Elections
(U.S. Intelligence Community Assessment)
"The declassified 14-page report, which was released in January, concluded Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the effort to undermine faith in the U.S. presidential election and helped Trump win the White House."
or:







_____________

- Russia -
"Trust No One"
_____________


✔︎ Demolition Drama in Moscow
(Foreign Affairs)
"Russia’s latest political drama came as a surprise to all.  For their part, the Kremlin and Moscow City Hall had failed to appreciate Muscovites’ attachment to their old houses and neighborhoods and their deep distrust for the authorities. The main anti-Kremlin opposition figures, meanwhile, did not anticipate the backlash and have not led the public rallies. Even experts on Moscow’s urban development had predicted that most residents would be bought off with promises of better housing.”
—
"Moscow city authorities and the Kremlin reacted to the uprising by suggesting that the protestors were foreign-backed provocateurs, but that sounded even more ridiculous than usual.”
—
"This weekend’s crisis stems from a draft law, which was initiated by Moscow mayor Sergei Sobyanin and has passed one reading in the Russian federal parliament. It proposes the demolition of about 4,500 apartment buildings, which are currently home to around 1.6 million people, or more than 10 percent of Moscow’s population."

✔︎ Thousands Protest In Moscow Against Housing Plan
(Huff Post | Guardian | RFERL )
"Organizers put the number of people attending the rally at up to 60,000, or 10 times the number originally agreed with Moscow authorities. Police put the number at 8,000, Russian news agencies said, though their estimate covered a smaller area. Protesters brandished banners that read ‘Hands off our homes’ and ‘My house is my castle’.”
—
—

✔︎ Muscovites Say Developer Profits and Money Laundering Is Behind Home Demolition Scheme
(Moscow Times)

✔︎ Soviet-era buildings were only expected to last for a few decades
(BBC)

✔︎ Moscow Officials Vote on Home Demolition Plan Despite Prosecutors’ Warnings
(Moscow Times)

✔︎ Moscow's suburbs look monolithic, but the stories they tell are not
(The Guardian - June 2015)



- ‘Trump is Again OURS,’ Moscow Commentators Say
(Window on Eurasia)
"There has been yet another mood swing in Moscow about Donald Trump. After his election, Russian officials and commentators celebrated that event as a breakthrough for Russia. Then, after he came to office and took positions, Moscow didn’t like, many Russians dismissed him as a remake of Barack Obama as far as their country is concerned."
--
  "But now in the wake of Donald Trump’s firing of the FBI director and his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russians again are expressing confidence that the US president will pursue policies they like and are declaring openly that “Trump is again OURS. Hurrah!”"

- Putin Mocks Trump For Sharing Intel With Russians
(Newsweek | Time)
--



- Russian intelligence is at (political) war
(NATO Review)
"President Vladimir Putin - a former officer of the Soviet Union’s KGB and then director of the Federal Security Service (FSB) - regards the security service personnel as among his closest allies and most useful instruments."



- Russian government promotes conspiracy surrounding murdered DNC staffer
(The Hill)



- In Rural Siberia, the Hospital Comes To You
(Newsweek)
"The Saint Lukas train doesn’t accept passengers—it accepts only the sick. The Saint Lukas is one of five government-funded medical trains that travel to remote towns in central and eastern Russia. Each stop lasts an average of two days, and during that time the doctors and nurses on board provide rural populations with basic medical care, X-ray scans, prescriptions and referrals to seek specialist help. … Russian local government and state rail services have operated the five trains since 2010.”
—
"The Saint Lukas has increased the number of stops it makes each year from the 55 it made on its first journey a decade ago to 75 today. For 10 months every year, the train stops at about eight stations over two weeks, before returning to the regional capital to refuel and restock. Then it starts all over again the next month. Most stations wait about a year between visits."



- The Race to Be Putin’s Next Prime Minister Is Heating Up
(Carnegie Moscow Center)
"The competition for the prime ministership—and for the control over the country’s economic future that comes with the job—is already kicking into high gear, all the more so after the anti-corruption protests that took place across Russia on March 26. The opposition is fast making corruption the central theme of the 2018 election, and many activists are pointing the finger directly at Dmitry Medvedev. This is creating a surprising anti-Medvedev coalition made up of the opposition and large swaths of the political elite."

_______
____
_









Posted by at
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)