 | |
 Estonia |  India |
|---|---|
Estonia–India relations are thebilateral relations betweenEstonia andIndia. India first recognised Estonia on 22 September 1921 when the former had just acquired membership in theLeague of Nations. India re-recognised Estonia on 9 September 1991 and diplomatic relations were established on 2 December of the same year inHelsinki. Estonia is represented in India by its embassy inNew Delhi.[1] India has an embassy inTallinn.
To India:
To Estonia:
In 2007, India was Estonia's 34th largest import partner and 37th largest export partner. Imports into Estonia doubled in 2006. The total value of trade between the countries in 2007 was €30.8 million.[7]
While Indian investment in Estonia is small-scale and is in the commercial and food sector, Estonia has no direct investment in India.[7] However, Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet has expressed desire to improve economic ties and appoint a non-resident ambassador and open its own embassy besides two existing honorary embassies.[5][8]
India has signed the Joint Business Council Agreement with the Estonian Chamber of Commerce.[9][10]
| Financial Year | 2017-2018 | 2018-2019 | 2019-2020 |
| Exports to Estonia from India | 80.33 | 64.32 | 65.44 |
| Imports from Estonia to India | 60.54 | 108.21 | 54.06 |
| Total bilateral trade | 140.87 | 172.53 | 119.5 |
The first person from Estonia to visit India at the end of the 17th century was thecleric Eberhard Eckhold (Eckholz) who was born inTallinn and had studied in theAcademia Gustaviana ofTartu. Nothing particular is known about his visit.Adam Johann von Krusenstern's expedition visited India on his way to China in 1797–1798 during the first Russiancircumnavigation.[12] He stayed for short whiles inMadras andCalcutta, acquainted with the commercial and administrative activity of theEast India Company and made a two-month journey on board HMS Orpheus in theBay of Bengal.[13] The fact that Krusenstern's library contained around forty items on the history and geography of India and on theSanskrit literature shows his great interest towards the country.[12]
The first Estonian textbooks to mention India were written by Georg Gottfried Marpurg (1805) and Karl Ernst Berg (1811).The first Estonian publication to arrive in India wasPühhapäiwa Wahhe-luggemissed (Sunday Intermediary Readings) ofOtto Wilhelm Masing (1818). The book contained a hundred-page description of the nature and society of India.Sanskrit language publications were printed at theUniversity of Tartu and from 1837, Sanskrit teaching classes commenced, taught by professor Karl Friedrich Keil. One of his successors Leopold Alexander von Schroeder became an outstandingindologist, known for his translations and original studies on the earlyIndian literature.[7][12]
Several papers on themissionary work in India, especially among theTamils were published in the middle of the 19th century. "Maailma maade õpetus" (Lesson on Countries of the World) by Berend Gildenmann gave a short systematic overview of the geography of India, improved by the editions of 1854 and 1868.Johann Voldemar Jannsen's articles on India which were widely popular contributed further to the Estonians' knowledge on the country as he published up-to-date information on the course of theIndian Rebellion of 1857. Further impact in the knowledge was made by the intellectualsFriedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald, Voldemar Hansen, Eduard Friedrich Lossius and others. The firstatlas in Estonian "Maakaardi raamat", published in 1857, contained a map of India under the title ofIndo-Brittia Riik (Indo-Britain State), populated bytoponyms from Masing's and Jannsen's publications.[12]
Severalprotestant missionaries from Estonia contributed in India. The first one was Arnold Nerling who worked among the Tamils in 1862–1872. Born inReval, Franz Mathissen studied in the school of theBasel Mission, was sent to work in Calcutta in 1867 and stayed there for the rest of his life. His schoolmate Johannes Hesse fromWeissenstein was sent to work in the mountains byNilagiri in 1869–1874. Albert Grubert fromAhrensburg who had studied inLeipzig, worked in 1871–1876 inNagapatnam. While they wereBaltic Germans, the only missionary of Estonian ethnicity was Christoph Bransfeld fromKärdla who worked with theGossner Theological College in 1880–1896.[12]
By the late 19th century, India was widely known to Estonians. In addition to the textbooks and the press, brochures were issued on the mission, the Rebellion of 1857,Nana Sahib (1884), theGreat Famine of 1876–78 (1892), thehinduism (1892), theBritish Raj (1895) and more. These were supported by the letters of the missionaries in India published by the Estonian press.[12]
PlayingIndian music has become a tradition in the Estonian film festivalOrient.Veena player Dr.Mustafa Raza has performed in the festival three times.[7]
The Estonian-Indian Cultural Society was established in 2004 and since then has made regular donations to the Estonian Institute of Humanities, theNational Library of Estonia and the University of Tartu.[8]
.jpg)
The Estonian–Indian Parliament Group was established in theRiigikogu in 2004.[14] Estonia has supported India's bid for a permanent seat in theUnited Nations Security Council. Estonia also supports the Indian draft on Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in theUnited Nations.[15]
In a collaboration withCenter for Cellular and Molecular Biology, CCMB, Hyderabad, India,Estonian Biocentre andUniversity of Tartu has published dozens of papers on origin and migrations of South Asian populations. Apart from these many Indian students and researchers are working currently inUniversity of Tartu andTallinn University of Technology. Gyaneshwer Chaubey was the first Indian student inUniversity of Tartu defended his PhD theses in 2010.[16] Later in 2015, Chandana Basu became the first female Indian student to complete her PhD.[17]
Estonia and India have several agreements on co-operations on subjects varying from Science and Technology to Culture, Education, Science, Sports, Arts, Mass Media, Tourism and Youth Affairs.[7][9] In 1999 India and Estonia signed a joint business council agreement to increase investment and trade between the two countries.[18]
| Americas |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Asia | ||
| Europe | ||
| Oceania | ||
| Diplomatic missions | ||
