Estonia and Austria celebrate a hundred years of diplomatic relations

On 11 June 1921, Austria recognised the Republic of Estonia de jure, which laid the basis for formal diplomatic contacts.

The relations of Austria and Estonia date back to the 19th century. Austria-Hungary had representations in Russia's Baltic provinces before the First World War. A consulate was opened in Tallinn (Reval) as early as 1867.

The first honorary consul of Estonia in Vienna was Estonian-born engineer Erich Georg Voldemar Andresen, who was appointed in 1921 and remained in office until August 1940. The first Austrian Envoy Nikolaus presented his credentials to the Head of State of the Republic of Estonia on 14 July 1924. Before the Second World War, Austrian envoys to Estonia resided in Warsaw and Estonian envoys to Austria resided in Berlin and Rome. Finno-Ugrian Institute of the University of Vienna began teaching Estonian in 1978.

After the restoration of Estonia's independence, Austria proposed to restore diplomatic relations on 28 August 1991, and this was duly completed when Manfred Ortner, Austria's first ambassador to Estonia after the restoration of Estonia's independence, presented his credentials to the chairman of the Supreme Council. Manfred Ortner resided in Helsinki and was in office until 1994.

The bilateral relations of Estonia and Austria today are excellent and the countries enjoy extensive cooperation that covers politics, economy, education and culture. Our rapport is also characterised by a shared understanding of common values and our contribution to the digital and green transformation. There is a lot Austria and Estonia can learn from each other in these fields and by pooling our knowledge and strengths, we can come up with smart solutions for the digital and green transformation for ourselves and others.

High-level visits in recent years are a testament to our excellent bilateral relations. The Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen came to Estonia on an official visit in the summer of 2018, and Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid visited Austria in May this year to mark the centenary of diplomatic relations.

The timeline of diplomatic between Estonia and Austria (in Estonian and German)

Additional information:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia
Communication Department
[email protected]