Estonia terminates legal assistance treaty with Russia

TALLINN. March 21 (Interfax) - The Estonian parliament terminated the legal assistance treaty with Russia on Wednesday.

Fifty-two out of 101 Estonian MPs backed the bill terminating this document, the parliamentary press service said.

"Estonia will [...] maintain bilateral relations with Russia only at the absolutely minimal level," an explanatory note to the bill said.

The possibility of cooperating with Russia in civil, family and criminal matters remains, but from they will be governed by the rules of private international law and international conventions, the explanatory note said.

The treaty was signed in Moscow in 1993 and entered into force on March 19, 1995, envisaging its automatic extension every five years.

The party terminating the treaty has to notify the other party of that at least six months before the end of the treaty's five-year extension period. The current period expires on March 18, 2025.

Thus, a note notifying Russia of the treaty's termination should be forwarded to Moscow before September 18, 2024, the press service said.