India- Relations

India has long-standing historical links with Estonia. India recognised the Republic of Estonia on 9th September 1991 and Diplomatic Relations were established on 2nd December of the same year. Since then the bilateral relations continued to be cordial and friendly. The Embassy of India in Helsinki is concurrently accredited to Estonia and opened its outsourced visa centre in in June 2012 which was inaugurated by the Foreign Minister of Estonia Mr. Urmas Paet

Estonia opened its Embassy in New Delhi in March 2012. Mr. Margus Sarglepp is the Cd’A. Mr. Viljar Lubi has been designated Ambassador.

Bilateral visits:

From Estonia to India

October 1993 Foreign Minister, Mr. Trivimi Velliste February 1999 State visit of President, Mr. Lennart Meri November 2008 Foreign Minister, Mr. Urmas Paet April 2010 Speaker of Parliament, Ms. Ene Ergma March 2012 Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee of , Mr. Marko Mihkelson, July 2012 Prime Minister Mr. September 2012 Minister for Education and Research Mr. Jaak Aviksoo

From India to Estonia

June 1993 Representatives of the Ministries of External Affairs and Trade August 1995 Minister of State for External Affairs Shri Salman Khurshid November 2003 Minister of State for External Affairs Shri Digvijay Singh July 2008 Special Secretary (AD&CPV) as Special Envoy of Prime Minister March 2011 MOS for External Affairs, Smt. Preneet Kaur June 2011 A 10-member Goodwill delegation of Parliamentarians led by Shri P.K. Bansal Minister of Parliamentary Affairs and Science & Technology September 2011 Shri Kapil Sibal, Minister of Human Resource Development and Communications and Information Technology April 2012 A 27 member delegation comprising 4 Members of Parliament, 1 Cabinet Minister from Govt. of J&K and senior officers visited Estonia for a training programme at E- Governance Academy.

Agreements:

 Declaration of Principles of Cooperation between the Republic of Estonia and the Republic of India (October 1993)  Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation (October 1993)  Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation (October1993)  Agreement on cooperation in the Spheres of Culture, Education, Science, Sports, Arts, Mass-Media, Tourism and Youth Affairs (October 1993)  Protocol on Bilateral Foreign Office Consultations (August 1995)  Agreement on Cooperation in the Fields of Science and Technology (February 1999)  Joint Business Council Agreement (FICCI & Estonian Chamber of Commerce)  Agreement on Promotion and Protection of Investments (March 2011)  Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (September 2011)

Foreign Office Consultations

India-Estonia Foreign Office Consultations were held in Tallinn in May 2012.

Commercial:

Commercial relations between the two countries are good, but they could be more diverse and more significant. Considering the size of India and its rapidly developing economy, there is significant room for development. Good perspectives for co-operation can be found in information technology, and biotechnology, in which India is a world leader. India’s trade with Estonia remains modest. In 2012, trade with India is around 0.65% of Estonia's total trade.

(in Million Euros) 2011 2012 (Jan-Oct) India´s Exports to Estonia 26.7 27.4 India´s Imports from Estonia 34.8 43.5 Total Trade 61.5 70.9 Source: Statistics Estonia

India‘s main items of exports to Estonia are cotton, leather products, tea and metals. Imports from Estonia include copper, iron and steel, paper products and machinery.

ITEC:

Estonia is covered under ITEC Programme. The scholarships under the Programme have become very popular in Estonia. Presently 20 slots are offered annually. ITEC Day was celebrated on 24 October 2012.

Cultural:

There is a strong interest in Estonia for Indian culture. University of Tartu began teaching of Sanskrit in 1837. Several publications on Sanskrit language and literature were published. In recent years several noted Indian musicians and dancers have given performances in Estonia. Interest in Indian culture remains very strong. ICCR sponsored group, Ranganiketan from Manipur, visited in June 2012 and performed in Tallinn.

Indian Community:

The Indian community in Estonia is only about 200 and people are largely engaged in business and restaurants. *****

January 2013