 | |
 Estonia |  United States |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Embassy of Estonia, Washington, D.C. | Embassy of the United States, Tallinn |
The relations betweenEstonia and theUnited States have been constant and strong since Estonia regained its independence in 1991. The United States and Estonia are allies and partners.[1]
Both nations are members of theOECD,NATO and theUnited Nations.
The United States recognized theRepublic of Estoniade jure on July 28, 1922. The first Estonian diplomatic mission in the United States was opened in the same year when the U.S. Commissioner atRiga, Evan Young, was declared the American representative to the three Baltic States, at the rank of Minister. An embassy inTallinn was opened on June 30, 1930, with Harry E. Carlson asChargé d'affaires. Following theSoviet occupation in August 1940 the American Embassy was closed in September 1940. However, the US government never recognized the legitimacy of the Soviet Rule in Estonia (1940 to 1991), and continued recognizing Estonia's diplomatic mission in the US as the legal representative of the Republic of Estonia. The recognition of the legal continuity of the Republic of Estonia has been the cornerstone of Estonian-U.S. relations.[2]
On September 2, 1991, US PresidentGeorge H. W. Bush recognized the restoration of Estonia's independence. The U.S. reopened its embassy in Tallinn on September 4, 1991. Relations between the two countries have since developed rapidly. In November 2006, PresidentGeorge W. Bush became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Estonia. During the visit, he announced theadministration's intention to work with theU.S. Congress to make changes to the U.S.Visa Waiver Program, increasing security while facilitating entry for legitimate visitors and businesspeople from countries like Estonia.
PresidentBarack Obama nominatedJeffrey D. Levine asambassador to Estonia, and he was confirmed by the Senate on March 29, 2012. Ambassador Levine presented his credentials to Estonian PresidentToomas Hendrik Ilves on September 17, 2012. Mrs.Marina Kaljurand, in September 2011 replaced Mr. Väino Reinart who had been serving as Estonia's ambassador to the United States since September 2007. Estonia also is represented in the United States by aconsulate general in New York, Sten Schwede; and 10 honorary consuls: Jaak Treiman in Los Angeles, Eric Harkna and Siim Soot in Chicago, Paul Aarne Raidna in Seattle, Larry Ruth in Lincoln, Harry Huge in Charleston, Michael Corey Chan in San Diego, Aadu Allpere in Atlanta, and Steve Chucri in Phoenix.
This article incorporatespublic domain material fromU.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets.United States Department of State.
Media related toRelations of Estonia and the United States at Wikimedia Commons
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