Estonian president urges Obama to be cautious on Russia

Jun 16, 2009, 9:08 GMT

Tallinn - Estonian president Toomas Hendrik Ilves and his US counterpart Barack Obama discussed the need for a 'serious and substantive dialogue with Russia,' during a meeting in Washington, according to a statement released Tuesday by Ilves' office.

Ilves met with US President Barack Obama and the US president's National Security Adviser James Jones in Washington on Monday, spokespeople for the Estonian president said.

'Good cooperation between the United States and Russia would be beneficial for the entire trans-Atlantic axis. But at the same time we do not see that the solutions offering us security now have exhausted themselves. And definitely it is important that dialogue with Russia must not harm the allied relationships of today,' Ilves warned.

Estonia has had a fractious relationship with Russia since the small Baltic state regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Around one quarter of Estonia's population is ethnically Russian, and when the Estonian government decided to move a Red Army war memorial in 2007, thousands of pro-Russian youths rioted in the Estonian capital, Tallinn.

At the same time, Estonia was subjected to a massive 'cyber-attack' from servers in Russia, though the Kremlin denied any involvement.

Estonia's ability to stand up to the cyber-attacks led to the establishment of a NATO cyber-defence facility in Tallinn.

'The cyber attacks that targeted Estonia two years ago served as a wake up call for many, demonstrating the importance of cyber security. Cyber attacks are cross-border by their nature and therefore require an international response,' Ilves said.