German-Estonian relations

German-Estonian relations

Germany	Estonia

Bilateral relations between Germany and Estonia existed from July 9, 1921 and again from August 28, 1991.

Estonia has an embassy in Berlin and honorary consuls in Hamburg , Ludwigsburg , Grasbrunn near Munich , Düsseldorf and Kiel . Germany has an embassy in Tallinn . Both countries are members of the European Union , NATO and the Baltic Sea Council .

history

Since Estonia became part of the Teutonic Order in the Middle Ages, the Baltic Germans played an important role in Estonian society.

German troops occupy Estonia, August 1941

The University of Tartu was a German-speaking university between 1802 and 1893 - over 50 percent of the professors were "Reichsdeutsche", another 40 percent were Baltic Germans .

At the end of the First World War (February 1918), Estonia, which had become Russian in 1710, was occupied by German troops. Subsequently, the Estonians succeeded in enforcing their independence in the Estonian War of Independence (1918–1920) against Soviet Russia and the Baltic National Army , which was under German command . The German-Baltic Baltic regiment fought on the Estonian side . In 1921 Germany recognized Estonia's independence and the two countries established diplomatic relations. In 1939 the German Reich signed a non-aggression pact with Estonia. In October 1939 the Baltic Germans were forcibly relocated to the " Warthegau ". In the Hitler-Stalin Pact , Estonia was added to the Soviet area of ​​interest. On June 16, 1940, the Soviet government issued an ultimatum to Estonia and then occupied and annexed it. The new rulers persecuted and murdered or deported large parts of the Estonian elite. After the German Reich invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941, Estonia was occupied by German troops in August 1941. The occupation lasted until October 1944. When the German troops withdrew, the country was reoccupied by the Soviet Union and incorporated into the Soviet Union as the "Estonian SSR". In 1991, Estonia was finally able to enforce its independence through demonstrations such as the "Via Baltica" together with the other Baltic states against the Soviet state, which was falling apart.

The Estonian President Toomas Hendrik Ilves with Chancellor Angela Merkel at the 43rd Munich Security Conference 2007

Eight days after Estonian independence, Germany resumed diplomatic relations with Estonia. The country is now integrated into the European structures and relations with the EU partner Germany are friendly.

Diplomatic exchange

The German-Baltic parliamentary group cultivates the relations between the German Bundestag and the Riigikogu . Alois Karl (CDU / CSU) is chairman in the 18th electoral term . Deputy chairmen are René Röspel (SPD), Axel Troost (Die Linke) and Konstantin von Notz (Bündnis90 / Die Grünen).

See also

• List of German ambassadors in Estonia
• Foreign policy of the Federal Republic of Germany

Web links

Commons : German-Estonian Relations  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• The German Foreign Office on relations with Estonia
• The Estonian Embassy in Berlin on bilateral relations

Individual evidence

1. ^ Embassy of Estonia in Berlin (German, English and Estonian) . Retrieved November 8, 2011.
2. ^ Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany - Tallinn (German and Estonian) . Archived from the original on January 1, 2012. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved November 8, 2011. 
3. ↑ Boards of the parliamentary groups in the 18th electoral period ( memento of the original from August 4, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.