A hundred years ago today, Latvia and Lithuania recognised the Republic of Estonia de jure

On 2 March 1921, Latvia and Lithuania recognised the Republic of Estonia de jure. Estonia had recognised the republics of Latvia and Lithuania de jure in February 1921. By that time, Estonia had won the War of Independence and attained de jure recognition from major powers, so now formal diplomatic communication according to established rules could begin between the three countries.

It is important to note that Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have always recognised each other as sovereign and independent states from the moment they declared independence.

Just like Estonia, some foreign representations of Latvia and Lithuania also remained open in the free world after the Second World War and continued to operate throughout the occupation period. For example, in the United States, the embassies of Latvia and Lithuania continued to work in Washington and Estonia’s consulate general remained open in New York. The diplomats working there often coordinated their actions, protected the interests of citizens and preserved the legal continuity of the Baltic States.

In 1991, after liberation from the Soviet occupation, the countries recognised each other again and restored diplomatic relations.

Today, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania have close contacts in the European Union, NATO, the Three Seas Initiative, the Council of Baltic Sea States, as well as Baltic (3B) and Nordic-Baltic cooperation (NB8) and in other international cooperation formats.