The Republic of Estonia gained its independence from the Russian Empire on 24 February 1918 and established diplomatic relations with many countries via membership of the League of Nations. The forcible incorporation of Estonia into the Soviet Union in 1940 was not generally recognised by the international community and the Estonian diplomatic service continued to operate in some countries. Following the restoration of independence from the Soviet Union, Russia was one of the first nations to re-recognize Estonia's independence (the first country to do so was Iceland on 22 August 1991). Estonia's immediate priority after regaining its independence was the withdrawal of Russian (formerly Soviet) forces from Estonian territory. In August 1994, this was completed. However, relations with Moscow have remained strained primarily because Russia decided not to ratify the border treaty it had signed with Estonia in 1999.
The two most important policy objectives in this regard have been accession into NATO and the European Union, achieved in March and May 2004 respectively. Estonia's international realignment toward the West has been accompanied by a general deterioration in relations with Russia, most recently demonstrated by the controversy surrounding relocation of the Bronze Soldier WWII memorial in Tallinn.[1] Estonia has become an increasingly strong supporter of deepening European integration. The decision to participate in the preparation of a financial transaction tax in 2012 reflects this shift in Estonia's EU policy.[2]
Whereas in 1992 Russia accounted for 92% of Estonia's international trade,[7] today there is extensive economic interdependence between Estonia and its Nordic neighbors: three-quarters of foreign investment in Estonia originates in the Nordic countries (principally Finland and Sweden), to which Estonia sends 42% of its exports (as compared to 6.5% going to Russia, 8.8% to Latvia, and 4.7% to Lithuania). On the other hand, the Estonian political system, its flat rate of income tax, and its non-welfare-state model distinguish it from the other Nordic states, and indeed from many other European countries.[8]
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union Estonia had hoped for the return of more than 2,000 square kilometers of territory annexed to Russia after World War II in 1945. The annexed land had been within the borders Estonia approved by Russia in the 1920 Tartu Peace Treaty. However, the Boris Yeltsin government disavowed any responsibility for acts committed by the Soviet Union.
After signing the border treaty by the corresponding foreign minister in 2005, it was ratified by the Estonian government and president. The Russian side interpreted the preamble as giving Estonia a possibility for future territorial claim, and Vladimir Putin notified Estonia that Russia will not consider these. Negotiations were reopened in 2012 and the Treaty was signed in February 2014. Ratification is still pending.[9]
Diplomatic relations
List of countries which Estonia maintains diplomatic relations with:
Chile first recognized Estonia on 22 September 1921. Chile re-recognised Estonia on 28 August 1991 and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on 27 September 1991. An agreement on visa-free travel between Estonia and Chile came into force on 2 December 2000.[22][23][24] The two countries also have in force a Memorandum on co-operation between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs.[22] Agreements on cultural, tourism, and IT cooperation are being readied.[22]
Chile is among Estonia's most important foreign trade partners in South America.[25] In 2006, Estonia and Chile issued the joint Antarctic themed stamp series, designed by Ülle Marks and Jüri Kass, bearing images of the Emperor penguin and the minke whale.[26] The works of Chilean writers Isabel Allende, Pablo Neruda and José Donoso have been translated into Estonian.[22]
Chile is accredited to Estonia from its embassy in Helsinki, Finland and maintains an honorary consulate in Tallinn.
Estonia is accredited to Chile from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tallinn and maintains an honorary consulate in Santiago.
Colombia first recognised Estonia on 22 September 1921 and re-recognised the restored Republic of Estonia on 23 March 1994.
Colombia is accredited to Estonia from its embassy in Warsaw, Poland.
Estonia is accredited to Colombia from its Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tallinn.
Colombia defines Estonia as a major ally and key player on Colombia's accession into the OECD and ratification of the Colombia-European Union Trade Agreement.[27]
Estonia and Mexico signed a friendship treaty on 28 January 1937.
Mexico was among those countries that never recognized Estonia's annexation by the Soviet Union. Mexico recognized the restored Republic of Estonia on 5 September 1991, while diplomatic relations were re-established on 5 December 1991.
Estonia is accredited to Mexico from its embassy in Washington, D.C., United States and maintains honorary consulates in Mexico City and in Tampico.[31]
Mexico is accredited to Estonia from its embassy in Helsinki, Finland and maintains an honorary consulate in Tallinn.[32]
Iran recognized Estonia on 22 September 1921, Iran has never recognised the occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union and re-recognized Estonia on 10 September 1991. Both countries re-established diplomatic relations on 18 August 1992.
Estonia is accredited to Iran from its embassy in Ankara, Turkey.
Iran is accredited to Estonia from its embassy in Helsinki, Finland.
Malaysia recognised the independence of Estonia on 11 September 1991 shortly after the dissolution of the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic on 20 August 1991.[38] Relations between the two countries have been established since 4 November 1993.[38]
Estonia is accredited to Malaysia from its embassy in New Delhi, India and maintains an honorary consul in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia is accredited to Estonia from its embassy Helsinki, Finland.
Estonia is an EUmember and Turkey is an EUcandidate. Estonia supports Turkey's accession negotiations to the EU, although negotiations have now been suspended.
Croatia is accredited to Estonia from its embassy in Helsinki, Finland.
Estonia is accredited to Croatia from its embassy in Prague, Czech Republic.
In 2000 the two countries mutually ended the visa regimes for citizens travelling between the two states.[40] In September 2008, the Estonian prime minister Andrus Ansip made a state visit to Croatia in which he supported the country on its way toward NATO and EU membership.
France recognised Estonia on 26 January 1921. France never recognised the Soviet occupation of Estonia. France re-stated its recognition on 25 August 1991.
Luxembourg recognized Estonia on 22 February 1923 and re-recognised Estonia on 27 August 1991.[42] Both countries re-established diplomatic relations on 29 August 1991.[42]
Estonia is accredited to Luxembourg from its embassy in Brussels, Belgium and maintains an honorary consulate in Luxembourg City.
Trade agreement between Estonia and Belgium and Luxembourg (1935)[43]
Agreement on Road Transport between Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands (came into force 1 December 1994)[44]
Agreement Between Estonia and the Belgo-Luxembourg Economic Union on the Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investments (came into force 23 September 1999)[45]
Agreement Between Estonia and the States of Benelux on Readmission of Persons (came into force 1 February 2005)
Agreement on the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Income and Capital Tax evasion (signed 23 May 2006)
Portugal recognized Estonia de facto in 1918 and de jure on 6 February 1921. Portugal never recognized the occupation of Estonia by the Soviet Union. Portugal re-recognized Estonia on 27 August 1991.
Russia recognized Estonia via the Tartu Peace Treaty on 2 February 1920. Russian-Estonian relations were re-established in January 1991, when leaders of the two countries, Boris Yeltsin of Russia and Arnold Rüütel of Estonia, met in Tallinn and signed a treaty on the relations of the two countries after the anticipated independence of Estonia from the Soviet Union.[49][50] The treaty envisaged the right to freely choose their citizenship for all permanent residents of Estonia at the time.
Russia re-recognized the Republic of Estonia on 24 August 1991 after the failed Soviet coup attempt, as one of the first countries to do so. The Soviet Union recognised the independence of Estonia on 6 September 1991. Estonia's ties with Boris Yeltsin's government weakened after the Russian president's initial show of solidarity with the Baltic states in January 1991. Issues surrounding the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Baltic countries and Estonia's denial of automatic citizenship to persons who settled in Estonia in 1940–1991 and their offspring[51] ranked high on the list of points of contention.
The contractual and legal framework of relations between Ukraine and Estonia covers a wide range of branches of bilateral cooperation, including political, trade and economic, scientific and technical, humanitarian, law enforcement and other spheres. This base is ramified and efficient enough and includes 53 bilateral documents, among which are 3 interstate agreements, 15 intergovernmental and 35 interdepartmental.
Ukraine and Estonia bring together common aspirations in the political, economic, social and other spheres. Recognizing Ukraine as its foreign policy priority, Estonia is one of the most consistent supporters of Ukraine's European choice, supported the signing of the Agreement on the Association of Ukraine with the EU.
Intensive bilateral contacts between state and non-governmental institutions are developing, and interaction within the framework of international organizations is active. At the state level, the important role played by Ukraine in ensuring stability and security in Europe is constantly stressed. Estonia supports political and socio-economic reforms in Ukraine, provides substantial humanitarian, financial and advisory and technical assistance.
Australia is host to one of the largest communities of Estonians abroad, with 8,232 people identifying as Estonian in the 2006 Australian Census.[55][56]
Since its return to democracy in 1990, Chile has been an active participant in the regional and international arena. Chile assumed a two-year non-permanent position on the UN Security Council in January 2003 and was re-elected to the council in October 2013. It is also an active member of the UN family of agencies, serving as a member of the Commission on Human Rights and participating in UN peacekeeping activities. Chile hosted the second Summit of the Americas in 1998, was the chair of the Rio Group in 2001, hosted the Defense Ministerial of the Americas in 2002, and the APEC summit and related meetings in 2004. In 2005 it hosted the Community of Democracies ministerial conference. It is an associate member of Mercosur and a full member of APEC. The OECD agreed to invite Chile to be among four countries to open discussions in becoming an official member.
The foreign policy of Denmark is based on its identity as a sovereign state in Europe, the Arctic and the North Atlantic. As such its primary foreign policy focus is on its relations with other nations as a sovereign state compromising the three constituent countries: Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands. Denmark has long had good relations with other nations. It has been involved in coordinating Western assistance to the Baltic states.
Politics in Estonia takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Estonia is the head of government, and of a multi-party system. Legislative power is vested in the Estonian parliament. Executive power is exercised by the government, which is led by the prime minister. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. Estonia is a member of the United Nations, the European Union, and NATO.
The foreign relations of Finland are the responsibility of the president of Finland, who leads foreign policy in cooperation with the government. Implicitly the government is responsible for internal policy and decision making in the European Union. Within the government, preparative discussions are conducted in the government committee of foreign and security policy, which includes the Prime Minister and at least the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Defence, and at most four other ministers as necessary. The committee meets with the President as necessary. Laws concerning foreign relations are discussed in the parliamentary committee of foreign relations. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs implements the foreign policy.
Lithuania is a European country located on the south-eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. It is a member of the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the World Trade Organisation. Currently, Lithuania maintains diplomatic relations with 186 states. It became a member of the United Nations on 18 September 1991, and is a signatory to a number of its organizations and other international agreements. It is also a member of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, NATO and its adjunct North Atlantic Coordinating Council, the Council of Europe, and the European Union. Lithuania gained membership in the World Trade Organization on 31 May 2001.
Ukraine has formal relations with many nations and in recent decades has been establishing diplomatic relations with an expanding circle of nations. The foreign relations of Ukraine are guided by a number of key priorities outlined in the foreign policy of Ukraine.
The foreign relations of Norway are based on the country's membership in NATO and within the workings of the United Nations (UN). Additionally, despite not being a member of the European Union (EU), Norway takes a part in the integration of EU through its membership in the European Economic Area. Norway's foreign ministry includes both the minister of foreign affairs and minister of international development.
Iceland took control of its foreign affairs in 1918 when it became a sovereign country, the Kingdom of Iceland, in a personal union with the King of Denmark. As a fully independent state, Iceland could have joined the League of Nations in 1920, but chose not to do so for cost reasons. It negotiated with Denmark to initially carry out most of its foreign relations, while maintaining full control. Denmark appointed a diplomatic envoy (Ambassador) to Iceland in 1919 and Iceland reciprocated in 1920, opening an embassy in Copenhagen. Iceland established its own Foreign Service in April 1940 when Denmark became occupied by Nazi Germany and ties between the two countries were severed. The Republic of Iceland was founded in 1944. The Icelandic foreign service grew slowly in the post-WWII period, but increased rapidly after the mid-1990s. Iceland's closest relations are with the Nordic states, the European Union and the United States. Iceland has been a member of the United Nations since 1946. Iceland was a founding member of the World Bank in 1946 and NATO in 1949. In terms of European integration, Iceland was a founding member of the OEEC in 1948 and the Nordic Council in 1952, it joined EFTA in 1970, was a founding member of the CSCE in 1973 and the EEA in 1992 and joined Schengen in 1996.
The Estonian Defence Forces is the unified military force of the Republic of Estonia. The Estonian Defence Forces consists of the Estonian Land Forces, the Estonian Navy, the Estonian Air Force, and the paramilitary Estonian Defence League. The national defence policy aims to guarantee the preservation of the independence and sovereignty of the state and maintain the integrity of its land area, territorial waters, airspace, and constitutional order. Its main goals remain the development and maintenance of a credible capability to defend the nation's vital interests and of the defence forces in a way that ensures their interoperability with the armed forces of NATO and European Union member states in order to participate in the full range of missions for these military alliances.
Bulgarian-Estonian relations are foreign relations between Bulgaria and Estonia. Bulgaria recognised Estonia on May 20, 1922 and re-recognised Estonia on August 26, 1991. Both countries restored diplomatic relations on September 10, 1991. Both countries are members of the Council of Europe, the European Union and NATO.
Foreign relations exist between Australia and Estonia. Australia first recognised Estonia on 22 September 1921. Australia was among the first countries to re-recognise Estonia's independence on 27 August 1991. Both countries re-established diplomatic relations on 21 November 1991.
Estonia–Germany relations are foreign relations between Estonia and Germany. Estonia has an embassy in Berlin. Germany has an embassy in Tallinn. Both countries are full members of the European Union, NATO, OECD, OSCE, Council of Europe, Council of the Baltic Sea States, HELCOM and WTO.
Estonia–Finland relations are the bilateral relations between Finland and Estonia. The independent Republic of Finland, established in 1917, and the independent Republic of Estonia, established in 1918, established diplomatic relations and formally recognised each other in 1920. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were interrupted during World War II and officially restored on 29 August 1991. Finland has an embassy in Tallinn. Estonia has an embassy in Helsinki. Both countries are full members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, Council of Europe, European Union, NATO and the Eurozone. Finland has given full support to Estonia's membership of the European Union. Estonia also has strongly supported Finland's NATO membership. The majority of languages in both countries are Finnic languages, as Finland's main language, Finnish, is related to Estonian, and there is and has been a certain feeling of kinship. 76% of Finns have visited Estonia, and in 2004, 1.8 million Finns reported visiting Estonia. The excise tax on alcohol is lower in Estonia than in Finland, thus it is common to buy large volumes of alcohol when returning from Estonia: a study in 2014 indicated that 34% of alcohol sold in Estonia is bought by Finns. Finnish and Swedish investors are the largest foreign investors in Estonia. Both Finland and Estonia are members of the European Union, Schengen agreement and the Eurozone, freeing international travel and trade between the countries. Finland is Estonia's top import partner, accounting for over 15% total import value in 2012, as well as the second-greatest market for Estonia's exports after Sweden. Finland's government recognised Estonia's independence in 1920. In response to the Soviet invasion, diplomatic missions were de facto removed. However, when Estonia restored its independence, this "temporary obstruction" was resolved. During the restoration of Estonia's independence, Finland secretly contributed with significant economic aid and know-how under the cover of "cultural co-operation" in order to not upset the Soviet Union. Finland continues to contribute militarily, such as officers' training, and the provision of equipment.
Chile–Estonia relations are foreign relations between Chile and Estonia. Chile re-recognized Estonia on August 28, 1991 and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on September 27, 1991. Chile is represented in Estonia through its ambassador who resides in Helsinki (Finland) and through an honorary consulate in Tallinn. Estonia is represented in Chile through an honorary consulate in Santiago. The current Chilean ambassador to Estonia, Carlos Parra Merino, officially presented his credentials to the Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves in June 2007. Carlos Parra Merino resides in Helsinki.
Nordic-Baltic Eight (NB8) is a regional co-operation format that includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden. Under NB8, regular meetings are held of the Baltic and Nordic countries' Prime Ministers, Speakers of Parliaments, Foreign Ministers, branch ministers, Secretaries of State and political directors of Foreign Ministries, as well as expert consultations where regional issues and current international topics are reviewed.
Eerik-Niiles Kross is an Estonian politician, diplomat, former chief of intelligence and entrepreneur. He is a member of parliament (Riigikogu). During the 1980s, Kross was a prominent figure in the anti-Soviet non-violent resistance movement in Soviet Estonia. After re-independence, in 1991, he joined Estonia's Foreign Ministry. He served as the head of intelligence from 1995 to 2000; and as national security advisor to former President Lennart Meri in 2000 and 2001.
Urmas Reinsalu is an Estonian politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2022 to 2023 and previously from 2019 to 2021. Before that, Urmas has served as the Minister of Defence between 2012 and 2014, and Minister of Justice from 2015 to 2019. Reinsalu is a member and current leader of the Isamaa ("Fatherland") political party, and was the party leader from 2012 to 2015.
Nordic identity in Estonia refers to the concept that Estonia is, or ought to be considered, one of the Nordic countries. The current mainstream view outside of Estonia does not usually include Estonia among Nordic countries, but categorizing it as a Nordic or Northern European country is common in Estonia.
Estonia–New Zealand relations are the bilateral relations between Estonia and New Zealand.
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