Relations during the Soviet occupation

With the Soviet Occupation of the Baltic States in June 1940, the Australian Government of Robert Menzies, like the British Government, did not recognise this action but the Minister for External Affairs, Sir Frederick Stewart, later confirmed in June 1941 that informal discussions had occurred that implied a "readiness on the part of the United Kingdom Government to settle on a practical basis various questions arising out of the Soviet annexation of the Baltic States."^[13] In 1948, the Soviet Embassy in Canberra made the announcement that "all persons from the Baltic States now resident in Australia would be registered as Soviet citizens", which met the response from the Australian Government of Ben Chifley that Australia did not recognise the Soviet annexation of the Baltic States and any citizens of those states resident in Australia would not be compelled to undertake any action in this regard.^[14]

By March 1949, in a Senate debate on the United Nations General Assembly's Third Session, the Minister for Health and Social Services, Senator Nick McKenna, noted the status quo of the situation:^[15]

"The Australian Government has not recognized, and does not intend to recognize, the absorption into the Soviet Union of the formerly independent republics of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia. The Australian Government believes that these accessions by the Soviet Union cannot be said to have been made as a result of the clearly expressed wish of the people of those countries. I draw the attention of the Senate to the action of the Minister for Immigration (Mr. Calwell) some time ago when a request was made on behalf of Soviet Russia that nationals of those countries should register in Australia as members of the Soviet Republic. The Senate will recall that an announcement was made that they were under no obligation to do that, and that if they cared to do so it would be of their own volition and not as the result of any pressure on the part of this Government or of any obligation the Australian Government felt was cast upon them. However, the absorption of those countries by Soviet Russia is an accomplished fact. I doubt whether this or any other Government could take action that would result in a change being effected in the foreseeable future."

In March 1970 the Minister for External Affairs in the Gorton Government, William McMahon, noted in Parliament: "The legal position is that Australia has never withdrawn recognition from the Governments of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania which were forced into exile by the U.S.S.R.'s invasion and occupation of those States in 1940. Australia has not explicitly extended recognition to any particular Government which may regard itself as a successor to one of those Governments which Australia recognised in 1940."^[16] Australia was the only Western country to break ranks and briefly recognise the Soviet annexation of Estonia (and the other Baltic states) as de jure for 17 months between July 1974 to December 1975 by the Whitlam Labor government, while most other countries continued to recognise the independent Estonian diplomatic missions.^[17][18] In explaining the change of position, the Minister for Repatriation and Compensation and prominent critic of Soviet foreign policy, Senator John Wheeldon, noted to the Senate in September 1974:^[19]

"What is the situation with regard to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia which are or were three of the Baltic states? Their incorporation in the Soviet Union is one of the most shameful acts in modern European history. It was something which took place as a result of a disgraceful, shameful and discreditable treaty signed in Moscow in 1939 between Stalin and Ribbentrop, the then nazi Foreign Minister. [...] At the present time one of the most important problems facing the whole of the world's people is to bring about what for some mysterious reason - I have never quite known why - is called détente, a relaxation, an end to the cold war, a certain amount of give and take by the two major sides in the present world conflict. One of the things that has to be done in order to bring that about is to face a number of realities and some of those realities are unpalatable. There has to be some recognition of the fact that whether we like it or not or anyone else likes it or not, or whether it is just or unjust- and I believe it is unjust and I do not like it - Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia have been incorporated into the Soviet Union. To continue to say they are not part of the Soviet Union while the Soviet Government and I daresay a majority of the Soviet people believe that they are is something which lessens opportunities for bringing about peaceful settlements with the Soviet Union, and peaceful settlements with the Soviet Union are essential."

Following the election of the new conservative Coalition government of Malcolm Fraser in November 1975, the new government withdrew de jure recognition of the incorporation of Estonia into the Soviet Union. On 17 December of that year the Australian government instructed the Australian ambassador in Moscow that he and his staff were not to make any official visits to the Estonian SSR. Independent Estonian consular representatives returned and were maintained until the restoration of independence in 1991.^[20] On 27 August 1991, Prime Minister Bob Hawke, announced Australia's decision to re-establish full diplomatic relations with Estonia.^[21] The Australian Ambassador to Sweden, Robert Merrillees, received non-resident accreditation as Australia's first Ambassador to Estonia from 21 November 1991.^[22]

Relations after 1991

As part of a significant expansion of Australian Honorary Consulates, Foreign Minister Gareth Evans announced the appointment of Mati Peekma as Australia's Honorary Consul in Tallinn in June 1995. Peekma still serves as honorary consul today.^[23][24] Australia signed a Working Holiday Visas arrangement with Estonia in May 2005.^[1][25] In 2007, the Estonian Government appointed Peeter Miller as the first ambassador to Australia, receiving non-resident accreditation as the residents Ambassador to Japan; Miller presented his credentials to the Governor-General of Australia, Michael Jeffery on 30 November 2007.^[26] From 2010 to 2012, the second Estonian ambassador, Andres Rundu, was resident in Tallinn.^[27] In November 2011, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs opened a Consulate-General in Sydney, headed by Consul-General Triinu Rajasalu.^[28][29] Consul-General Rajasalu was succeeded by Katrin Kanarik on 1 August 2013, who served until the consulate's closure in July 2016.^[30]

In July 1998 Estonian Prime Minister Mart Siimann visited Australia.^[31] An Australian Parliamentary delegation, led by the former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Sue West, visited Tallinn in October 1999.^[1] Estonian Parliamentary delegation, led by the Speaker of Riigikogu Ene Ergma visited Australia in 2008. In 2009 Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet visited Australia and opened Estonian Honorary Consulate in Perth.^[32] In April 2010 Australian Foreign Minister Stephen Smith participated in the Meeting of ISAF Foreign Ministers in Tallinn, Estonia. The President of the Senate John Hogg paid an official visit to Estonia in October 2013.^[33] The Embassy of Estonia in Canberra was opened in February 2015, with the first ambassador appointed, Andres Unga, who presented his credentials to Governor-General Quentin Bryce on 28 March 2013.^[27][34] In February 2016, Estonian Foreign Minister Marina Kaljurand officially opened the Estonian Embassy in Canberra, co-located with the Embassy of Finland to Australia, and held talks with various Federal Ministers.^[35]

In 2015, Australia and Estonia signed a new social security agreement.^[36] On 7 March 2018, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced the opening of the Australian Embassy in Estonia, which would function on a "pop-up" basis, with the new ambassador resident in Tallinn for two months of the year and the embassy having a virtual presence for the remainder of the year. In response, the Estonian Foreign Minister, Sven Mikser, noted that the new embassy "will doubtlessly make Australia more prominent in Estonia and in our region on the whole".^[37] From 1991 to 2018, Australia's relations with Estonia were the responsibility of the Australian Embassy in Stockholm.^[38] With the severe effects of the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season upon the City of Canberra, the Estonian Embassy was temporarily closed and moved to Sydney.^[39]

Australian Ambassadors

Estonian Ambassadors