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. Estonia's immediate priority after regaining its independence was the withdrawal of Russian 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 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.
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 1918,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.
Finland and the United States currently have good relations. The United States was one of the first countries to recognize Finland after it declared independence in 1917,and officially established diplomatic relations in 1920. Due to World War II and Soviet pressure,relations were suspended between 1942 and 1945 before being raised to embassy level in 1954. Finland has been of strategic importance to the United States due to its position bordering the Soviet Union and later Russia,and after the end of the Cold War in 1991 Finland's shift to the West has led to warmer relations. There is significant trade activity,including military procurement,between the two countries. The United States supported Finlanď's NATO membership during Finland's accession into NATO,which was finalized on 4 April 2023.
Matti Kalervo Anttonen is a Finnish diplomat and the present Secretary of State for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland since 1 March 2018.
Finland–Turkey relations are foreign relations between Finland and Turkey. Finland has an embassy in Ankara and an honorary consulate general in Istanbul and other honorary consulates in Adana,Alanya,Antalya,Belek,Bodrum,İzmir,and Kayseri. Turkey has an embassy in Helsinki. Both countries are full members of the Council of Europe,the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD),the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE),North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),and the Union for the Mediterranean. Also Finland is an EU member and Turkey is an EU candidate. Turkey did not support Finland's accession to NATO until March 2023,but accepted its participation.
Marjatta Rasi was a Finnish diplomat. She represented Finland as Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN),and as Ambassador to many countries posted at New Delhi,Dhaka,Colombo,Kathmandu,Thimphu,and Vienna. She worked as Head of Finland's Development Agency. In 2004,she was President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). After serving in New York City in the United Nations from 1998 to 2004,she was also the Under Secretary of State for Development Policy in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Finland).
Päivi Luostarinen is a Finnish diplomat. She has been employed by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs since 1981 and served as Finnish Ambassador at the Finnish Embassy in London from September 2015 until June 2019.
Kirsti Johanna Narinen is a Finnish diplomat. She was appointed Finnish Ambassador to Estonia on September 1,2014. Narinen started to work in the Foreign Ministry in 1984.
Kristina A. Kvien is an American diplomat who has served as United States ambassador to Armenia since February 2023. She previously served as United States chargéd’affaires to Ukraine from May to June 2019 and from January 2020 to May 2022. From June 2019 to January 2020,she was deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of the United States in Kyiv.
Helena Sångeland is a Swedish diplomat and is the current Swedish Ambassador to China. Sångeland presented her credentials on May 16,2019.
Lone Dencker Wisborg is a Danish diplomat,lawyer and civil servant. She is the current Permanent Representative of Denmark to NATO,having previously served as Ambassador of Denmark to the United States,from 2019 to 2022,the first woman to hold that position.
