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. Estonia iran relations regaining independence, Estonia has pursued a foreign policy of close cooperation with Western European nations. President Toomas Hendrik Ilves and President George W. 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.

An important element in Estonia’s post-independence reorientation has been closer ties with the Nordic countries, especially Finland and Sweden. 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. 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. Estonia established diplomatic relations with Kazakhstan on 27 May 1992. Uruguay was among the countries that refused to recognize the Soviet occupation of the Baltic countries.