Medvedev's visit to Finland non-antagonistic

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev has gone to Finland on a state visit. Despite strict security measures and several protests, the visit is distinctly non-antagonistic, writes the Estonian newspaper Postimees: "The visit ends on the 200th anniversary of the first autonomous Finnish parliament. As Finnish television commentators have remarked this is a logical step, as there are no major differences between the two countries' interpretation of history. Of course here in Estonia we wonder when we will be accorded such a visit, after all we too are Russia's neighbour and a member of the EU. One can only agree with the Estonian parliamentarian Marko Mihkelson on this point: so long as Russia does not show a more sympathetic face and remains unwilling to thaw the frozen relations between our two countries, any rapprochement is out of the question. So reciprocal diplomatic visits between normal, democratic states are still a long way off."

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