U.S. Welcomes Signature of Estonian-Russian Border Treaty

WASHINGTON, May 19, 2005, AFP-BNS

The United States on Wednesday welcomed the signing by Russia and Estonia of the treaty on the national border.

"The United States sees this as a welcome step that will be constructive for regional relations and will help Estonia and Russia move ahead from their painful past," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in a statement.

The accord was signed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Foreign Minister Urmas Paet of Estonia.

"We believe that Estonia, which the United States has continuously recognized since 1922, has taken an important step in ensuring the integrity of its borders," Boucher said. "We look forward to completion of the process of ratification by the parliaments of both countries to bring the treaty signed today into force."