Ankara, 5 October 2022 (TDI): The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye and Director for EU Affairs, Faruk Kaymakcı met the Estonian Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee delegation, on Wednesday
The delegation was led by a member of the Estonian Parliament, Marko Mihkelsonon. In the meeting, the high officials exchanged thoughts on many regional developments. Moreover, the relations between Türkiye, European Union, and Estonia were also a part of the discussion.
The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye and Director for EU Affairs, Faruk Kaymakcı, expressed his gratitude to Estonia for its continued support during the process of Türkiye’s membership in the EU.
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Türkiye-Estonia diplomatic relations
Relations between both countries are warm and are enjoying stable development.
Türkiye recognized the Republic of Estonia on 23 January 1924. The Country has never acknowledged Estonia’s annexation by the Soviet Union. The Diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored on 23 October 1991, after Estonia had regained its independence.
The two nations are NATO allies. Strong Turkish support for Estonia’s NATO membership and Estonian support for the Türkiye EU accession path are favorable indicators of their good bilateral relations. Both countries continue their cooperation on international platforms, such as the UN, NATO, and EU.
Moreover, Türkiye was the first nation from the organization’s southern flank to take part in an air policing mission in the Baltic States, in 2006.
In 2018, the overall volume of trade between the two countries was 312 million Dollars. In addition, the total amount of direct investments from Estonia to Türkiye in the period 2002- 2018 amounted to 11 million Dollars. Similarly, the Turkish direct investments in Estonia during the same period were 3 million Dollars.
Both the states exchanged high-level visits to each other’s countries. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited Estonia on 23-24 October 2014.
Marina Kaljurand, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, also paid a visit to Ankara on 24 August 2016 in her capacity as the Chairman of the Council of Europe. The Estonian and Turkish parliaments also work closely together on different regional problems.
Türkiye is the most popular tourist destination for Estonians. Nearly, 61,707 Estonian tourists visited Türkiye in 2018.
