Australia–Estonia relations
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Foreign relations exist between
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
and
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
. 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. Australia is represented in Estonia through a part-time embassy (since 2018) and Honorary Consulate in
Tallinn Tallinn () is the most populous and capital city of Estonia. Situated on a bay in north Estonia, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland of the Baltic Sea, Tallinn has a population of 437,811 (as of 2022) and administratively lies in the Harju ' ...
(since 1995). Estonia has had an embassy in
Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...
since 18 February 2015, which is also responsible for relations with New Zealand, Indonesia and ASEAN, and also has Honorary Consulates in every state capital.


History

Early diplomatic representation of Estonia as part of the
Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire and the final period of the Russian monarchy from 1721 to 1917, ruling across large parts of Eurasia. It succeeded the Tsardom of Russia following the Treaty of Nystad, which ended the Great Northern War. ...
(within the Governorates of
Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
and
Livonia Livonia ( liv, Līvõmō, et, Liivimaa, fi, Liivinmaa, German and Scandinavian languages: ', archaic German: ''Liefland'', nl, Lijfland, Latvian and lt, Livonija, pl, Inflanty, archaic English: ''Livland'', ''Liwlandia''; russian: Ли ...
) in Australia dates back to 1894, when the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Empire (russian: Министе́рство иностранных дел Российской империи) was a ministry of the Russian Empire responsible for relations with foreign states from 1 ...
sent its first permanent consular representatives to Australia, based in Melbourne, and Estonians were counted in official statistics as part of the Russian community. The second Russian Consul in Australia from 1895 to 1898, Robert von Ungern-Sternberg Freiherr von Pirkel was an Estonian of
Baltic German Baltic Germans (german: Deutsch-Balten or , later ) were ethnic German inhabitants of the eastern shores of the Baltic Sea, in what today are Estonia and Latvia. Since their coerced resettlement in 1939, Baltic Germans have markedly declined ...
nobility, born in 1845 on the island of Dagö (now known as
Hiiumaa Hiiumaa (, ) is the second largest island in Estonia and is part of the West Estonian archipelago, in the Baltic Sea. It has an area of 989 km2 and is 22 km from the Estonian mainland. Its largest town is Kärdla. It is located within H ...
). Following the
Estonian Declaration of Independence __NOTOC__ The Estonian Declaration of Independence, also known as the Manifesto to the Peoples of Estonia ( et, Manifest Eestimaa rahvastele), is the founding act of the Republic of Estonia from 1918. It is celebrated on 24 February, the Natio ...
in 1918, from 1919 to 1935, Estonia was represented in Australia by the Finnish Consulate in Sydney, another country that had emerged from the dissolution of the Russian Empire. Formal relations between the two countries began when Australia recognised Estonia on its admission to the
League of Nations The League of Nations (french: link=no, Société des Nations ) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference that ...
on 22 September 1921. In 1922, Finnish Consul Harald Tanner was named Honorary Consul of Estonia in Sydney, and served until Estonia sent their own representative in 1935. In 1935 Estonia appointed its own honorary consul, Johannes Kaiv, who served until his promotion to Consul-General in New York in 1939. Kaiv was succeeded as acting Honorary Consul and later Honorary Vice-Consul (from October 1939) by prominent local Estonian Arvid Mielen. In October 1940, the
Estonian government-in-exile The Estonian government-in-exile was the formally declared governmental authority of the Republic of Estonia in exile, existing from 1944 until the reestablishment of Estonian sovereignty over Estonian territory in 1991 and 1992. It traced its l ...
directed the closure of the consulate and its records were given to the Swedish Consulate for storage.


Relations during the Soviet occupation

With the Soviet
Occupation of the Baltic States The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were invaded and occupied in June 1940 by the Soviet Union, under the leadership of Stalin and auspices of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact that had been signed between Nazi Germany and the Soviet ...
in June 1940, the Australian Government of
Robert Menzies The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory ...
, like the British Government, did not recognise this action but the Minister for External Affairs, Sir Frederick Stewart, later confirmed in June 1941 that informal discussions had occurred that implied a "readiness on the part of the United Kingdom Government to settle on a practical basis various questions arising out of the Soviet annexation of the Baltic States." In 1948, the Soviet Embassy in Canberra made the announcement that "all persons from the Baltic States now resident in Australia would be registered as Soviet citizens", which met the response from the Australian Government of
Ben Chifley Joseph Benedict Chifley (; 22 September 1885 – 13 June 1951) was an Australian politician who served as the 16th prime minister of Australia from 1945 to 1949. He held office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1945, follow ...
that Australia did not recognise the Soviet annexation of the Baltic States and any citizens of those states resident in Australia would not be compelled to undertake any action in this regard. By March 1949, in a Senate debate on the
United Nations General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Curr ...
's Third Session, the Minister for Health and Social Services, Senator
Nick McKenna Nicholas Edward McKenna (9 September 1895 – 22 April 1974) was an Australian politician who served as a Senator for Tasmania from 1944 to 1968. He held ministerial office in the Chifley Government from 1946 to 1949 as Minister for Health a ...
, noted the status quo of the situation: In March 1970 the Minister for External Affairs in the Gorton Government,
William McMahon Sir William McMahon (23 February 190831 March 1988) was an Australian politician who served as the 20th Prime Minister of Australia, in office from 1971 to 1972 as leader of the Liberal Party. He was a government minister for over 21 years, t ...
, noted in Parliament: "The legal position is that Australia has never withdrawn recognition from the Governments of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania which were forced into exile by the U.S.S.R.'s invasion and occupation of those States in 1940. Australia has not explicitly extended recognition to any particular Government which may regard itself as a successor to one of those Governments which Australia recognised in 1940." Australia was the only Western country to break ranks and briefly recognise the Soviet annexation of Estonia (and the other Baltic states) as
de jure In law and government, ''de jure'' ( ; , "by law") describes practices that are legally recognized, regardless of whether the practice exists in reality. In contrast, ("in fact") describes situations that exist in reality, even if not legally ...
for 17 months between July 1974 to December 1975 by the
Whitlam Edward Gough Whitlam (11 July 191621 October 2014) was the 21st prime minister of Australia, serving from 1972 to 1975. The longest-serving federal leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) from 1967 to 1977, he was notable for being the he ...
Labor government, while most other countries continued to recognise the independent Estonian diplomatic missions. In explaining the change of position, the Minister for Repatriation and Compensation and prominent critic of Soviet foreign policy, Senator
John Wheeldon John Murray Wheeldon (9 August 192924 May 2006) was an Australian politician and journalist. He was a member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) and a senator for Western Australia from 1965 to 1981. He held ministerial office in the Whitlam g ...
, noted to the Senate in September 1974: Following the election of the new conservative Coalition government of
Malcolm Fraser John Malcolm Fraser (; 21 May 1930 – 20 March 2015) was an Australian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Australia from 1975 to 1983, holding office as the leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Fraser was raised on hi ...
in November 1975, the new government withdrew ''de jure'' recognition of the incorporation of Estonia into the Soviet Union. On 17 December of that year the Australian government instructed the Australian ambassador in Moscow that he and his staff were not to make any official visits to the
Estonian SSR The Estonian SSR,, russian: Эстонская ССР officially the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic,, russian: Эстонская Советская Социалистическая Республика was an ethnically based adminis ...
. Independent Estonian consular representatives returned and were maintained until the restoration of independence in 1991. On 27 August 1991, Prime Minister
Bob Hawke Robert James Lee Hawke (9 December 1929 – 16 May 2019) was an Australian politician and union organiser who served as the 23rd prime minister of Australia from 1983 to 1991, holding office as the leader of the Australian Labor Party (A ...
, announced Australia's decision to re-establish full diplomatic relations with Estonia. The Australian Ambassador to Sweden,
Robert Merrillees Robert S. Merrillees (born 25 July 1938) is a former Australian diplomat and archaeologist. His memoir ''Diplomatic Digs'' was released in 2012 as an e-book. Merrillees joined the Australian Public Service in the Department of External Affairs ...
, received non-resident accreditation as Australia's first Ambassador to Estonia from 21 November 1991.


Relations after 1991

As part of a significant expansion of Australian Honorary Consulates, Foreign Minister Gareth Evans announced the appointment of Mati Peekma as Australia's Honorary Consul in Tallinn in June 1995. Peekma still serves as honorary consul today. Australia signed a Working Holiday Visas arrangement with Estonia in May 2005. In 2007, the Estonian Government appointed Peeter Miller as the first ambassador to Australia, receiving non-resident accreditation as the residents Ambassador to Japan; Miller presented his credentials to the Governor-General of Australia,
Michael Jeffery Major General Philip Michael Jeffery, (12 December 1937 – 18 December 2020) was a senior Australian Army officer and vice-regal representative. He was the 28th governor of Western Australia from 1993 to 2000, and the 24th governor-general of ...
on 30 November 2007. From 2010 to 2012, the second Estonian ambassador, Andres Rundu, was resident in Tallinn. In November 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs opened a Consulate-General in Sydney, headed by Consul-General Triinu Rajasalu. Consul-General Rajasalu was succeeded by Katrin Kanarik on 1 August 2013, who served until the consulate's closure in July 2016. In July 1998 Estonian Prime Minister
Mart Siimann Mart Siimann (born 21 September 1946) was the Prime Minister of Estonia from 1997 to 1999, representing the liberal/centrist Estonian Coalition Party.
visited Australia. An Australian Parliamentary delegation, led by the former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator
Sue West Suzanne Margaret West (born 21 September 1947) is a former Australian politician and nurse who was the first woman to serve as a Senator for New South Wales. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), she was appointed to the Senate in Februa ...
, visited Tallinn in October 1999. Estonian Parliamentary delegation, led by the Speaker of
Riigikogu The Riigikogu (; from Estonian ''riigi-'', of the state, and ''kogu'', assembly) is the unicameral parliament of Estonia. In addition to approving legislation, the Parliament appoints high officials, including the Prime Minister and Chief Jus ...
Ene Ergma visited Australia in 2008. In 2009 Estonian Foreign Minister
Urmas Paet Urmas Paet (born 20 April 1974) is an Estonian politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Estonia. He is a member of the Reform Party, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. He has served as Minister of Fore ...
visited Australia and opened Estonian Honorary Consulate in Perth. In April 2010 Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith participated in the Meeting of
ISAF ' ps, کمک او همکاري ' , allies = Afghanistan , opponents = Taliban Al-Qaeda , commander1 = , commander1_label = Commander , commander2 = , commander2_label = , commander3 = , command ...
Foreign Ministers in Tallinn, Estonia. The President of the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
John Hogg paid an official visit to Estonia in October 2013. The Embassy of Estonia in Canberra was opened in February 2015, with the first ambassador appointed, Andres Unga, who presented his credentials to Governor-General
Quentin Bryce Dame Quentin Alice Louise Bryce, (née Strachan; born 23 December 1942) is an Australian academic who served as the 25th governor-general of Australia from 2008 to 2014. She is the first woman to have held the position, and was previously the ...
on 28 March 2013. In February 2016, Estonian Foreign Minister
Marina Kaljurand Marina Kaljurand (née Rajevskaja; born 6 September 1962) is an Estonian politician and Member of the European Parliament. Kaljurand served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in Taavi Rõivas' second cabinet as an independent. Earlier, she served as ...
officially opened the Estonian Embassy in Canberra, co-located with the Embassy of Finland to Australia, and held talks with various Federal Ministers. In 2015, Australia and Estonia signed a new social security agreement. On 7 March 2018, Foreign Minister
Julie Bishop Julie Isabel Bishop (born 17 July 1956) is an Australian former politician who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2013 to 2018 and deputy leader of the Liberal Party from 2007 to 2018. She was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Curtin ...
announced the opening of the Australian Embassy in Estonia, which would function on a "pop-up" basis, with the new ambassador resident in Tallinn for two months of the year and the embassy having a virtual presence for the remainder of the year. In response, the Estonian Foreign Minister, Sven Mikser, noted that the new embassy "will doubtlessly make Australia more prominent in Estonia and in our region on the whole". From 1991 to 2018, Australia's relations with Estonia were the responsibility of the Australian Embassy in Stockholm. With the severe effects of the
2019–20 Australian bushfire season The 201920 Australian bushfire season (Black Summer), was a period of bushfires in many parts of Australia, which, due to its unusual intensity, size, duration, and uncontrollable dimension, is considered a megafire. The Australian National ...
upon the City of Canberra, the Estonian Embassy was temporarily closed and moved to Sydney.


Australian Ambassadors


Estonian Ambassadors


Migration

The first Estonians settled in Australia in 1853 and the first Estonian Society was established in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
in 1914. People settled primarily around Sydney. After
Soviet occupation of Estonia The Estonian SSR,, russian: Эстонская ССР officially the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic,, russian: Эстонская Советская Социалистическая Республика was an ethnically based adminis ...
in 1940 and again in 1944, numerous Estonian exiles settled in Australia, contributing to development of Estonian culture in Australia.
Estonian House An Estonian House ( et, Eesti Maja) is a center of Estonian culture, usually overseas. Numerous Estonian Houses were set up after the Soviet occupation of Estonia led to tens of thousands of Estonian people fleeing the war and the occupation a ...
s were set up in Sydney (1940),
Thirlmere Thirlmere is a reservoir in the Borough of Allerdale in Cumbria and the English Lake District. The Helvellyn ridge lies to the east of Thirlmere. To the west of Thirlmere are a number of fells; for instance, Armboth Fell and Raven Crag both ...
(1952), Melbourne (1955),
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
(1957) and
Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
(1966). Australia has the fifth largest Estonian community after Russia, Canada, Sweden and the USA. Sir
Arvi Parbo Sir Arvi Hillar Parbo (10 February 1926 – 1 May 2019) was a business executive who was concurrently chairman of three of Australia's largest companies, Alcoa World Alumina & Chemicals, Munich Re, and Zurich Australian Insurance. Early lif ...
, chairman of three of Australia's largest companies, is one of the best-known Estonians in Australia. Australia is host to one of the largest communities of Estonians abroad, with 8,232 people identifying as Estonian in the 2006
Australian Census The Census in Australia, officially the Census of Population and Housing, is the national census in Australia that occurs every five years. The census collects key demographic, social and economic data from all people in Australia on census nig ...
. In the 2016 Australian census, over 9,500 people identified as being of Estonian ancestry.


Cultural and educational

Australia has multiple arrangements with Estonia involving the
Estonian Business School Estonian Business School (EBS) is a private, higher-education university situated in Tallinn, Estonia. EBS offers business-related higher education in bachelor-, master- and doctoral levels. Estonian Business School also has a high school part, n ...
,
Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
and
Swinburne University of Technology Swinburne University of Technology (often simply called Swinburne) is a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1908 as the Eastern Suburbs Technical College by George Swinburne to serve those without access ...
.
Tallinn University Tallinn University (TLU; et, Tallinna Ülikool, ''TLÜ'') is a public research university in Estonia. Located in the centre of Tallinn, the capital city of Estonia, Tallinn University is one of the three largest institutions of higher education ...
has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Victoria University for cooperation in youth work education. Estonian culture has been presented in Australia by many Estonian artists and musicians, including the
Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (EPCC) is a professional choir based in Estonia. It was founded in 1981 by Tõnu Kaljuste, who was its conductor for twenty years. In 2001, Paul Hillier followed Kaljuste's tenure, becoming the EPCC's princi ...
and composer
Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...
– honorary doctor of
Sydney University The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's six ...
.
Arvo Volmer Arvo Volmer (born November 4, 1962 in Tallinn) is an Estonian conductor. Volmer was principal conductor of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra from 1993 to 2001. From 2004 to 2013 he was Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Adelaide Sym ...
has been the principal conductor of the
Adelaide Symphony Orchestra The Adelaide Symphony Orchestra (ASO) is a South Australian performing arts organisation comprising 75 full-time musicians, established in 1936. Based in Adelaide, South Australia, the orchestra's primary performance venue is the Adelaide Town Ha ...
since 2004. The Estonian Archives in Sydney were established in 1952 and hold the majority of all printed Estonian works that were published outside of Estonia following
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
.Alliance.org.au – Adelaide Symphony Orchestra acclaims


Economic

Trade between Australia and Estonia was a modest A$ 60 million in 2013–14. Merchandise trade between Australia and Estonia has been unstable, partly due to a big distance between the countries. Estonia's biggest import are alcoholic beverages (wines) and Australia's are wood and wood products.


Treaties

The following is a list of international bilateral treaties * Early treaties were extended to Australia by the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
, however they are still generally in force. *
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
treaties, extended to Estonia are not included below.


See also

*
Foreign relations of Australia Foreign relations of Australia are influenced by its position as a leading trading nation and as a significant donor of humanitarian aid. Australia's foreign policy is guided by a commitment to multilateralism and regionalism, as well as to ...
*
Foreign relations of Estonia 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 Un ...


References


External links


Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade about relations with Estonia

estonia.org.au Connecting Australia with Estonians

Estonians in Australia webpage

Australian embassy in Tallinn homepage

Estonian Embassy in Canberra webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Australia-Estonia relations