History of diplomatic relations
Italy recognised the Republic of Estonia on 26 January 1921. Italy’s first envoy to Estonia was Agostino Depretis, who took up his duties in February 1921. Before the Second World War, an Italian Cultural Institute also operated in Estonia under the leadership of the prominent Italian journalist and historian Indro Montanelli.
In June 1921, Estonia’s first diplomatic representative to Italy, Karl Robert Pusta, presented his credentials. At the same time, he served as Estonia’s envoy to France and resided in Paris. Hermann Hellat (1923–1925) was the first Estonian diplomatic representative to reside permanently in Rome, while Karl Tofer (1927–1931) was the first Estonian plenipotentiary envoy to Italy to reside in Rome. In addition to the embassy in Rome, Estonia had honorary consuls in several Italian cities, including Genoa, Milan, Naples, Palermo and Trieste.
Italy restored its recognition of Estonia on 27 August 1991, and diplomatic relations between Estonia and Italy were re-established on 31 August of the same year. The Estonian Embassy in Rome resumed its work in September 1996 under Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Ruth Lausma. Estonia’s first ambassador to Italy after the restoration of independence was Jaak Jõerüüt (1998–2002).
Estonian envoys and ambassadors to Italy
1921–1923 Karl Robert Pusta – Estonia’s first envoy to Italy, resident in Paris
1923–1925 Hermann Hellat – the first Estonian diplomatic representative to reside permanently in Rome
1925–1927 Aleksander Jürgenson – Counsellor and Chargé d’Affaires ad interim in Rome
1927–1931 Karl Tofer – the first Estonian plenipotentiary envoy to Italy to reside in Rome
1931–1934 August Schmidt, later August Torma
1936–1940 Johan Leppik – remained in office until the closure of the embassy in 1940
1998–2002 Jaak Jõerüüt
2002–2006 Jüri Seilenthal
2006–2010 Andres Tomasberg
2010–2014 Merike Kokajev
2014–2020 Celia Kuningas-Saagpakk
2020–2024 Paul Teesalu
since 2024 Lauri Bambus
Lauri Bambus presented his credentials to President Sergio Mattarella on 2 October 2024.
Italian envoys and ambassadors to Estonia
1921–1922 Agostino Depretis – Italy’s first envoy to Estonia
1922–1928 Augusto Stranieri
1930–1934 Count Mauro Tosti di Valminuto
1934–1935 Leone Weillschott
1935–1940 Vincenzo Cicconardi – headed the Italian representation until its closure in 1940
1991–1996 Carlo Siano
1996–1999 Roberto Martini
1999–2002 Luchino Cortese
2002–2005 Ruggero Vozzi
2005–2009 Fabrizio Piaggesi
2009–2012 Rosa Maria Chicco Ferraro
2012–2016 Marco Clemente
Bilateral relations
To Estonia
- July 2018 – Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy, Enzo Moavero Milanesi, Minister of Foreign Affairs
- April 2010 – Franco Frattini, Minister of Foreign Affairs
- September 2009 – Franco Frattini, Minister of Foreign Affairs
- January and March 2009 – Alfredo Mantica, Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs
- September 2007 – Giampaolo Di Paola, Chief of Staff
- April 2004 – State visit by President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
To Italy
- June 2022 – Kalle Laanet, Minister of Defence
- April 2022 – Working visit of President Alar Karis to the Venice Biennale
- September 2021 – President Kersti Kaljulaid attends the meeting of the Arraiolos Group in Rome
- July 2021 – Eva-Maria Liimets, Minister of Foreign Affairs
- December 2020 – Working visit of President Kersti Kaljulaid to Rome
- November 2019 – President Kersti Kaljulaid at the opening of the Konrad Mägi exhibit at Musei Reali in Turin
- October 2018 – Jüri Luik, Minister of Defence, in Rome
- February 2018 – Prime Minister Jüri Ratas
- October 2017 – President Kersti Kaljulaid, at the opening of the Konrad Mägi exhibit at the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome.
- July 2017 – Sven Mikser, Minister of Foreign Affairs
The international agreements between Estonia and Italy can be found in Riigi Teataja (in estonian).
For more details on the trade in goods with Italy, see the Statistics Estonia application.
In 1997, an agreement on cultural, educational, scientific, and technological cooperation was signed between the Government of the Republic of Estonia and the Government of the Italian Republic, which entered into force in 2002. It is a general framework agreement aimed at developing and implementing activities that will contribute to a better mutual knowledge of the cultural heritage of both countries and promote cultural, educational, scientific, and technological cooperation between the two countries.
There is a long tradition of cultural exchange in the visual arts, dating back at least to the nineteenth century, when artists from Estonia, including Julie Wilhelmine Hagen-Schwarz, Carl Timoleon von Neff, Otto Friedrich Moeller, but also Johann Köler, August Weizenberg, Ants Laikmaa, and Konrad Mägi, visited Italy or lived and worked there for extended periods. In recent years, the works of Konrad Mägi have been showcased in Italy, with major exhibitions of his works in Rome, Florence, and Turin.
Estonia has had a pavilion at the Venice Biennale since 1997. Estonia has participated in the Milan Design Week, as well as various film festivals throughout Italy.
In the field of music, there are frequent cultural exchanges, including in the field of art music (introducing the works of Arvo Pärt, Helena Tulve, and other Estonian composers).
In Estonia, Italian language and culture can be studied in depth at Tallinn University. Italian can be studied as a secondary subject at the University of Tartu, as well as at various language schools.
Italy is covered by Defence Attaché Lieutenant Captain Erkki Silm, who resides in Berlin. The Italian Defence Attaché in Estonia is Colonel Stefano Cavaliere, who resides in Warsaw.
Italy participated in the NATO Baltic Air Policing mission from Ämari Air Base for the first time in 2018, rotating from January to April. Before that, Italy participated in the air policing mission from Šiauliai, Lithuania, from January to April 2015, and from May to August of the same year, Italy augmented the mission. Italy protected the Estonian airspace again from May to the end of November 2021, for a total of seven months. Italy has been represented in the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE) since 2008. Italy is one of the founding members of the centre and currently contributes the work of the centre with two experts.
Contacts with the Italian defence structures began in 1995. An agreement on defence cooperation was signed in 1998, which entered into force in February 2001. The peacekeeping cooperation has been very good, as Estonia, together with the Italian Carabinieri, participated in the NATO KFOR Multinational Support Unit (MSU) in Kosovo from November 1999 to December 2006. The participation of Italy in the EI2 (European Intervention Initiative) has further enhanced security cooperation between Estonia and Italy.