Prime Minister Andrus Ansip replied to the interpellation (No. 247) concerning the expenses related to the guarding of the Bronze Soldier statue, submitted on 20 September by Members of the Riigikogu Helir-Valdor Seeder, Mart Nutt, Trivimi Velliste, Marko Pomerants and Henn Pärn.

Prime Minister said that strengthening the national security as well as ensuring the public order can certainly be valued in money, but that one cannot say that the expenses spent were in vain, if the war had not broken out and no offences had been committed. “It is important that our Police and security authorities have the ability to predict and anticipate more extreme threats to our national security and public order,” Mr. Ansip stressed. The guard around the Bronze Soldier was set on the basis of danger assessment. “I trust our law enforcement agencies. I am convinced that the danger was assessed adequately and the expenses spent purposefully,” Prime Minister marked. Mr. Ansip explained that the events at Tõnismäe were deliberated at the Cabinet meeting of 25 May. A decision was made to assign to the Police the task to ensure the public order and the round-the-clock presence in order to avoid possible provocations and conflicts between the persons with different opinions and mentalities. Video surveillance on its own would not have enabled the Police to ensure public order and react to legal offences. Prime Minister explained that by now the situation at Tõnismäe had normalized. Since the morning of 9 October the police ribbon on the green area at Tõnismäe has been removed. The Police danger zone has been declared safe, the police guard ended and a video camera installed at Tõnismäe.

Mr. Ansip expressed his hope that the Riigikogu would pass the War Graves Protection Act and pursuant to this Act the Bronze Soldier would be removed, and the persons buried there, if there are any, would be buried to the most appropriate   place for the dead – the graveyard.

The Riigikogu Press Service