History of diplomatic relations
Estonia and Latvia exchanged diplomatic representatives already in December 1918. Latvia recognised Estonia’s independence on 2 March 1921. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were restored on 6 September 1991. Leili Utno took up office as Estonia’s first ambassador to Latvia after the restoration of independence on 29 June 1992.
The current Ambassador of the Republic of Estonia, Eerik Marmei, presented his credentials to President of Latvia Egils Levits on 17 August 2022. The Embassy of the Republic of Latvia in Tallinn has been headed by Ambassador Kristīne Našeniece since 17 August 2022.
Bilateral relations
To Latvia
- March 2025 – working visit by President Alar Karis to Riga; opening of the new embassy building
- November 2024 – introductory visit to Latvia by Prime Minister Kristen Michal
- July 2024 – working visit by Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna; presentation of the Language Award in Cēsis
- June 2024 – President Alar Karis in Cēsis for the 105th anniversary of the Battle of Võnnu
- July 2023 – visit to Latvia by Speaker of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar
- May 2023 – working visit to Riga by Minister of Foreign Affairs Margus Tsahkna
- May 2023 – official visit to Latvia by Speaker of the Riigikogu Lauri Hussar
- April 2023 – state visit to Latvia by President Alar Karis
- December 2022 – President Alar Karis at the meeting of the Baltic presidents in Riga
- December 2022 – Prime Minister Kaja Kallas at the meeting of the Baltic prime ministers in Riga
- October 2022 – Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu at the 28th Baltic Council meeting in Riga
- September 2022 – working visit by Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu; presentation of the Language Award in Latvia
- October 2021 – introductory visit to Latvia by President Alar Karis
- October 2021 – working visit to Latvia by Prime Minister Kaja Kallas; participation in the Riga Conference
- December 2019 – President Kersti Kaljulaid at the meeting of the Baltic presidents
- November 2019 – Minister of Foreign Affairs Urmas Reinsalu at the 25th Baltic Council meeting in Riga
- August 2019 – Prime Minister Jüri Ratas at the meeting of the Baltic prime ministers and events marking the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way
- May 2019 – introductory visit to Latvia by Prime Minister Jüri Ratas
- November 2018 – President Kersti Kaljulaid at Latvia’s centenary events in Riga
- August 2018 – Prime Minister Jüri Ratas and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sven Mikser at the joint session of the Estonian and Latvian governments
To Estonia
- August 2025 – Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braže and the Government of the Republic of Latvia at the second joint session of the Estonian and Latvian governments in Võru and Tartu
- August 2025 – President Alar Karis and President Edgars Rinkēvičs marked the 500th anniversary of the first Estonian- and Latvian-language books with a joint bicycle tour in Raamatu village and Mõisaküla
- May 2025 – Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braže at the meeting of the Council of the Baltic Sea States ministers and the Lennart Meri Conference
- May 2024 – introductory visit by Minister of Foreign Affairs Baiba Braže
- November 2023 – introductory visit by Prime Minister Evika Siliņa
- October 2023 – introductory visit by Minister of Foreign Affairs Krišjānis Kariņš
- October 2023 – introductory visit by Speaker of the Saeima Daiga Mieriņa
- July 2023 – introductory visit by President Edgars Rinkēvičs
- February 2023 – Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš at the meeting of the Baltic prime ministers in Tallinn
- November 2022 – introductory visit by Speaker of Parliament Edvards Smiltēns
- November 2021 – working visit by President Egils Levits
- September 2021 – working visit by Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs, participation in the Lennart Meri Conference
- July 2019 – introductory visit by President Egils Levits
- April 2019 – state visit by President Raimonds Vējonis, accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Edgars Rinkēvičs and Minister of Economics Ralfs Nemiro
- February 2019 – introductory visit by Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš
- February 2018 – Prime Minister Māris Kučinskis at the Baltic Sea Region Forum
Latvia is one of Estonia’s most important trading partners and a priority country for business diplomacy. In 2024, trade between the two countries amounted to 4.2 billion euros, accounting for 11.1% of Estonia’s total trade and placing Latvia second among Estonia’s trading partners. Latvia is Estonia’s second-largest export market and third-largest import partner.
More detailed data on trade with Latvia is available in the Statistics Estonia application.
Local authorities in the Estonian-Latvian border regions have maintained regular cooperation for many years. Since 2004, cross-border cooperation between Estonia and Latvia has been coordinated by the Estonian-Latvian intergovernmental commission, which consists of the Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian governmental commissions. The decision-making body of the intergovernmental commission is the joint session, which takes place once a year on a rotating basis.
Following the decisions adopted at the 2015 joint session, both governmental commissions have synchronised their working arrangements and memberships in order to make cooperation more effective. Representatives of the working groups meet at the joint session and provide an overview of developments during the previous year in the following areas: promoting a business-friendly environment in border regions, supporting the implementation of cross-border cooperation strategies, and finding solutions to current specific issues in border regions.
More information about the Estonian-Latvian governmental commission is available on the website of the Ministry of Regional Affairs and Agriculture, which coordinates the work of the commission.
The European Union supports cooperation between border regions through territorial cooperation programmes. The European Regional Development Fund co-finances the Estonia-Latvia Programme for 2021–2027 with 24 million euros. The priority areas of the Interreg programme are: 1) promoting cooperation between local authorities in border and cross-border regions; 2) smart and jointly growing businesses; 3) a sustainable and resilient environment; 4) promoting cross-border tourism.
More information is available here: https://estlat.eu/en/
Two future cooperation reports have been prepared with the aim of further developing Estonia-Latvia relations and mapping common development directions in bilateral cooperation. On the initiative of the prime ministers of Estonia and Latvia, Anvar Samost from Estonia and Andris Razans from Latvia were appointed as the authors of the first report. The report was completed in June 2010.
In early 2021, the foreign ministers of Estonia and Latvia proposed the idea of preparing a new report. ERR correspondent Ragnar Kond and former Latvian Ambassador to Estonia Jānis Eichmanis were selected as independent co-authors. The report Latvia-Estonia Cooperation: Turning Point? was presented to the wider public on 9 September 2022 at a seminar at Valga Gymnasium.
Active defence cooperation with Latvia takes place both bilaterally and in the Baltic cooperation format. On the margins of the NATO Madrid Summit on 30 June 2022, Estonian Minister of Defence Kalle Laanet and Latvian Minister of Defence Artis Pabriks signed a letter of intent that laid the foundation for the joint procurement of medium-range air defence systems by Estonia and Latvia.
The most important Baltic cooperation formats include the Baltic Defence College, BALTDEFCOL, the Baltic Battalion, BALTBAT, hosting NATO’s Baltic Air Policing mission, and active participation in exercises.
Owing to their geographical proximity, Estonia and Latvia have maintained close cultural and educational contacts throughout history. Already in the 19th century, Estonia’s future intellectual and political elite received education at the Jānis Cimze Teachers’ Seminary, and later at Riga Technical School and the Riga Theological Seminary. Latvian cultural representatives have long-standing cooperation ties with their Estonian colleagues, and Estonian art exhibitions, concerts and film screenings are held regularly in Latvia. The agreement concluded between Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in 2000 on the mutual recognition of higher education qualifications continues to support the mobility of students from Estonia to Latvian higher education institutions.
Since 2008, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Estonia and Latvia have awarded the Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian Language Award every year. The idea for the award came from Jaak Jõerüüt, Estonia’s Ambassador to Latvia, and Kārlis Eichenbaums, Latvia’s Ambassador to Estonia. The monetary value of the award is 5,000 euros. The jury includes representatives of both foreign ministries as well as literary experts, and translators, language teachers and researchers may apply for the award.
In 2025, the jury selected the poet and translator Contra, whose real name is Margus Konnula, as the winner. He has for years done valuable and dedicated work in bringing Latvian literature to Estonian readers, translating both contemporary literature and classics. His second recognition with the Estonian-Latvian and Latvian-Estonian Language Award came for translating the Latvian conceptual poetry anthology The Homeland of the Alphabet. The First Anthology of Latvian Conceptual Poetry of the Third Millennium (published by ;paranoia, 2024).
In 2015, a new Latvian-Estonian and Estonian-Latvian dictionary was completed in cooperation between Estonian and Latvian language experts. It was first presented in Riga on 11 May 2015 in the presence of the presidents of both countries, Toomas Hendrik Ilves and Andris Bērziņš: Estonian-Latvian dictionary.
There is also an Estonian-Latvian machine translation engine, EstLat.