TALLINN, April 30 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Russian delegation chief Nikolai Kovalyov said here on Monday that Russia would not break off diplomatic relations with Estonia amid a crisis over the removal of a Soviet war memorial, which has sparked riots.

    Kovalyov made the statement while meeting with Estonia's first Deputy Speaker of parliament Kristiina Ojuland. Kovalyov was heading a delegation of Russian lawmakers here for talks aimed at resolving the crisis.

    Kovalyov said to suspend diplomatic relations with Estonia is just the thoughts of some Russian political factions, which Russia would not do, according to local media.

    Estonia is an open country with its own legal system, whose actions will always remain within a framework of national and international laws, Ojuland said, adding that the Estonian side would reply to every question that the Russian delegation asks during their visit.

    The statue of a Red Army soldier commemorating Soviet soldiers killed during World War II was re-erected in a military cemetery on Monday after it was controversially removed from a square in the city.

    The Estonian government decided last Thursday to pull down the statue formerly located in the Tynismyagi Square, provoking strong protests from Russian-speaking Estonians.

    One man was stabbed to death and a hundred more were injured during clashes between protesters and the police. Russia also strongly criticized the move.