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25 June, 2021

 



Jaanipäev 2021






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COVID in the Baltics 

- 37 in Estonia  (56 last week)
- 125 in Latvia    (108 last week)
- 58 in Lithuania (72 last week)
(BNN - 22. June 2021)

“Koroonaviiruse andmestik.” - Eesti Terviseamet












— Friday 25. June —


Arvamus: Vanalinn on kodu, mitte külastuskeskus
Riina Sikkut, Postimees
“Tallinna ajalooline linnasüda püsib elav ja mitmekesine ainul siis, kui seal päriselt elatakse, kirjutab riigikogu liige Riina Sikkut (SDE).”





Denmark’s renewable #bioenergy from Hiiumaa
(Siim Kuresoo @SiimKuresoo - Twitter)
“Many locals and NGOs are frustrated by expanding clearcuts in either ecologicly significant old growth fragments or just great healthy forests.”

Photo via Twitter



Estonia's Signature Spirit Is So Popular It Was Used As Currency
(Food and Wine)
“The result of ingenuity under occupation, Vana Talinn has transformed from a drink of necessity to a point of national pride.”



Intervjuu: Kaja Kallas
(ERR)
“Arutelu ei tohi minna inetuks, inimesed ei pea haiget saama.”



Europe Must Confront Russia’s Imperialist Creep
(CEPA)
“Europe has to become geopolitical or face increasingly uncertain, dangerous times.”



Poland and the Baltics lead effort to thwart a German-French initiative
(Politico Europe)
“EU leaders early Friday adopted a hardline stance toward Russia — but only after Poland and the Baltic countries took their own hardline stance toward Germany and France and torpedoed a proposal by the bloc’s biggest powers to seek a summit with President Vladimir Putin. The 27 heads of state and government adopted their tough conclusions on Russia at around 2 a.m. following a protracted and, at times, heated debate. The final result was remarkably humbling, if not utterly humiliating, for German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, who normally exert the greatest sway in discussions around the European Council table.”













Germany needs to start showing Central and Eastern Europe more respect
(Politico-Europe
“Why do Germans think they can teach Poles what democracy is?” Wolfgang Schäuble, the president of the German parliament asks …”





EU leaders have taken notice of increased illegal migration from Belarus
(Baltic Times)
“Lithuanian politicians say that Belarus' regime deliberately lets migrants to cross its border with Lithuania as part of a "hybrid war". Around 500 migrants, mostly from Middle East countries, have illegally crossed from Belarus into Lithuania this year.” 







— Thursday 24. June —


Kremlin’s Geopolitical Fears Divide Finno-Ugric Peoples
(Jamestown Org.)
“The eighth meeting of the World Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples took place in Tartu, Estonia, on June 16–18. … In 2019, during her visit to Moscow, Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid invited Vladimir Putin to the next Finno-Ugric congress in Tartu.”
—
“Putin’s response to the invitation was not publicly announced for two years. The answer came suddenly and with unexpected harshness … In their statement, Russia’s “official Finno-Ugrians” accused Finland, Estonia and Hungary of seeking to “patronize and control” the Finno-Ugric movement, and called the world congresses themselves “an instrument of interference in the internal affairs of the Russian Federation.”
—
“UNESCO experts confirm this fact: reportedly, all Finno-Ugric languages in Russia are under threat to varying degrees—from “definitely” to “critically”. In fact, the extinction of Finno-Ugric languages in the country is hastened by deliberate Kremlin policies to this effect.”



Kaljulaid: Finno-Ugric language preservation matter of national survival
(ERR, 16. June)
“The world congresses have been building bridges between our peoples for almost 30 years," she added, noting that influence of dominant languages puts the identity and survival of smaller ones at risk and, citing statistics from the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to back up her statement.”











June temperature record of 34.6C (94.28F) posted in Narva
(ERR)
“Estonia's absolute all-time high, since records began, of 35.6C (96.08F), was posted on 11. August 1992 in Võru.”






Venemaa kaasmaalaste nõukogu igatseb noort verd
(Propastop)
“Noorte puudumise kohta on hiljuti sõna võtnud Venemaa asevälisminister Andrei Rudenko, kes ütles, et on vaja tegeleda noorte koordinatsioonikogude ja diasporaa teiste noortestruktuuride loomisega. Venemaa huvist kaasata noori kirjutas ka 2021. aasta aastaraamatus Kaitsepolitseiamet: „Kremli  aktivistid Eestis küll räägivad palju noorte kaasamise tähtsusest, kuid ei ole tegelikult huvitatud nende  pealekasvust. Noored aktivistid seaksid ohtu nende sissetulekud, näilise positsiooni kogukonnas ja mõjutaksid töist suhet Venemaa saatkonnaga. Küll aga soositakse oma lähedaste kaasamist Venemaa Föderatsiooniga seotud üritustesse. Põlvkondade vahetust soodustatakse vaid  perekondlikus liinis: vanemate rolli on üle võtmas Öise Vahtkonna endiste aktivistide lapsed.”



Admiral Bellingshausen veetis jaaniöö ristlainete ja vaalasabade keskel
(Postimees)
“Ööl vastu jaanipäeva magasid Kirde-Islandi vetes purjetava «Admiral Bellingshauseni» peal vähesed. Kella nelja-viie paiku hommikul muutus lõputus polaarpäevas laine, olgugi et mitte kõrge, sedavõrd teravaks, et mere vali ja nõudlik prõmmimine käis läbi kogu laeva.”



European Parliament declares abortion access a human right
(Politico-Europe)
“The resolution urges EU countries to recognize that any interference with access to contraception, fertility treatment, maternity care and abortion “constitute breaches of human rights.” It implores countries to “condemn any attempt to limit access” to these services. The measure passed with 378 MEPs voting in favor and 255 voting against.”








— Wednesday 23. June —


Eesti peaminister hoiatas läänt Covidi mõjul tekkinud autoritaarsuse eest
(Ärileht)
“Peaminister ütles, et mõned valitsused on liikunud inimeste õiguste laiema piiramise suunas. “Isegi, kui hetkel pole epidemioloogilisi põhjuseid, ei anta inimestele vabadusi tagasi, sest nii on mugavam,” ütles ta. Veel kritiseeris peaminister suuremate EL-i liikmesriikide, sealhulgas Saksamaa ja Prantsusmaa samme, millega kehtestati pandeemia alguses isikukaitsevahenditele ekspordikeeld. "Need piirangud tulid kiiresti, ei kusagilt. Olen mures, et piirangud tulevad kriisi ajal liiga kergesti.”


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- Võidupüha 2021 -












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Estonian PM warns west of damage from ‘Covid-induced authoritarianism’
(Financial Times)
“Kaja Kallas told the Financial Times she was afraid that some countries had been slow to relax restrictions on free movement of people and goods, even as vaccination rates increased. “What we have seen in this Covid crisis, this urge for a strong hand or an authoritarian way of governing is deep in our societies, even in some countries you would never believe.”



NATO planes scrambled eight times last week in response to Russia flights
(ERR)
“… with Russian activity particularly frenetic on June 15-17.”



Opinion: Estonian interests in the Arctic
(ERR)
“The Arctic or the circumpolar region is shared by eight countries that have direct interests in everything that it is and can offer. However, global interest in the region has been around for some time. It is little wonder then that Estonia is no exception. …”








Estonia’s GDP per capital increased to 86% of the EU average wealth level
(BNE)
“Lithuania’s GDP per capita rose to 87% of the EU average, marking the steepest (26pp) advance over the past decade. … Latvia rose to 72%.”
https://www.intellinews.com/romania-in-line-with-the-baltic-states-as-fastest-converging-eu-members-213804/



Estonia to help Lithuanians guard Eastern border
(BNN)
“Lithuanian authorities have spoken about a a big increase in the number of migrants trying to illegally enter the EU via the Lithuanian border from Belarus …”



Estonia among 13 EU countries that blasts Hungarian anti-LGBTQ+ measures
(Politico)
“The 13 countries issued their unusually strongly-worded rebuke during an EU ministers’ meeting in Luxembourg on the state of the rule of law in Hungary, where a broad array of concerns — from the independence of the judiciary to media freedoms — was discussed.”




Europeans are losing faith in the EU. Brussels must win them back
(Euronews)
“A new survey published this month by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), in partnership with YouGov and Datapraxis, revealed that a majority of Europeans have now lost faith in the EU and its ability to respond effectively in the face of major crises. In many of the bloc’s leading member states, including Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Austria, the picture is stark: a majority believe that the European project is “broken”, in the context of Covid-19, and want a more unified European response to global issues – as well as a stronger stand against Chinese, Russian and Turkish violations of international law.”








— Russia | Belarus —


Moscow has no intention of refraining from belligerent activities close to NATO’s eastern flank
(Warsaw Institute)
“A pair of Russian Su-24s had breached NATO’s airspace a day before the U.S. and Russian leaders met in Geneva. According to Lithuanian officials, the Russian planes flew one kilometer into Lithuanian airspace over the Baltic Sea, where they spent about one minute. … Also on June 15, two Russian Tu-160 strategic bombers flew over neutral waters of the Baltic Sea, putting NATO air forces on alert. The flight of the missile carriers, accompanied by Russia’s Su-35S and Su-27 fighters, took eight hours.”



The Pillage of Annexed Crimea
(CEPA)
“Rapid deforestation has been severe in Russia (as Novaya Gazeta has already recently documented). Now, it is fast becoming a new norm for the Ukrainian peninsula.”





Putin’s Satisfaction With Geneva Summit Will Not Last
(Jamestown Org.)
“Expectations regarding the summit between Presidents Joseph Biden and Vladimir Putin in Geneva last Wednesday (June 16) were set quite low, but the media hype was considerable—and both suited the Russian leader just fine.”



Putin and Lukashenko Are Reluctant Authoritarian ‘Bros’
(Foreign Policy)
“The rift with the EU has left Belarus at the mercy of Moscow.”



The Courageous Women of Minsk
(Spiegel)
“Belarus may have receded from the headlines, but the opposition's fight continues. Five women discuss their struggle in a forest near Minsk – a site chosen to evade Lukashenko's thugs.”



The lawsuit brought against author Catherine Belton by Russian oligarchs: a red alert for Europe
(Desk Russie)
“Catherine Belton is a British investigative journalist, long-time Moscow correspondent for the Financial Times, and author of Putin’s People. How the KGB Took Back Russia and Then Took on the West, published in 2020.  … The book narrates not only Putin’s irresistible attention, the blindness of those who could and should have opposed him and later regretted it, but above all the links, suggested or proven, of the system he built around him and organized crime.”



Checking the thermometers
(Riddle)
“Lyubov Glazunova on whether the battle against global warming can bring Russia and the West closer together.”



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