Andrus Ansip said earlier on national radio he backed plans to move the "Soldier-Liberator" statue out of Tallinn city center, as it "was a symbol of occupation and should be moved elsewhere."
"This monument is a source of tension in society and it must be removed from the city center," Ansip said Thursday. "The faster it is done, the better. In the event that a burial site [of Russian soldiers' remains] is confirmed near the monument, they should be reburied at one of the cemeteries."
He said he was not afraid that dismantling the monument would have a negative impact on Estonia's image in other European countries that have similar monuments.
"I am not afraid of this - why would it worsen our image if we decide for ourselves in our country what monuments suit us and where they should be erected?" he said.
Russia's Foreign Ministry Tuesday voiced indignation over the defacing of the "Soldier-Liberator" statue, which was painted white and blue, two of the colors of the Estonian tricolor flag, in the early hours of May 21.
Relations between the two countries have been poor in the last few years, as Estonia seeks official recognition of what it calls Soviet occupation from Russia - the Soviet Union's successor state under international law - while Russia accuses the Baltic state of discriminating against ethnic Russians living there.
