After Estonia restored its independence, Georgia formally recognised the Republic of Estonia on 27 August 1991, and diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on 17 June 1992.
Georgia has been a priority country for Estonia for decades. Georgia is well known in Estonia and Estonians have always been invested in its fate. Estonia supports Georgia’s independence and sovereignty. Estonia has made a significant contribution to Georgia’s integration with the Euro-Atlantic community, both in relation to the European Union and NATO. For many years, Georgia was one of Estonia’s development cooperation priority target countries. However, due to the Georgian authorities’ systematic departure from democratic principles, Estonia can no longer regard support for Georgian state institutions as a foreign policy priority. We continue to support Georgian civil society and independent media.
Since March 2026, Estonia’s Embassy in Georgia has been headed by Chargé d’Affaires Ms Gita Kalmet.
Estonia supported the launch of the Eastern Partnership initiative in the first half of 2009. Georgia was one of the most successful Eastern Partnership countries and served as a positive example for other partners. Under the Association Agreement signed in June 2014, Georgia gained the opportunity to conclude a Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA) with the European Union. Georgia submitted its application for EU membership in March 2022. In December 2023, the European Council granted Georgia conditional candidate country status, but the accession process effectively came to a halt in 2024.
Since 28 March 2017, Georgian citizens holding biometric passports have been able to travel visa-free to the European Union and the Schengen Area. On 6 March 2026, the European Union suspended visa-free travel for holders of Georgian diplomatic and service passports.
Relations between Georgia and NATO began in 1992, when Georgia joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council (now the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council). Since then, Georgia has steadily deepened its ties with the Alliance. In 1994, it joined the Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme; in 2004, it began implementing the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP); and in 2008, the NATO–Georgia Commission was established. A key milestone in Georgia’s security policy aspirations was the NATO Bucharest Summit in April 2008, where the final communiqué included a clear commitment to Georgia’s future membership, having already launched an Intensified Dialogue in 2006. Among non-NATO countries, Georgia is the second-largest contributor to international missions on a per capita basis and has also participated actively in EU missions, including in the Central African Republic and Mali.
Georgia became a member of the Council of Europe in April 1999. It has been a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) since June 2000.
Estonia has shared its reform experience through development cooperation projects. For many years, Georgia was Estonia’s largest bilateral aid recipient and one of its development cooperation priority target countries, alongside Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus and Afghanistan. Georgia has shown considerable interest in Estonian expertise and experience in areas such as free trade, agriculture, information technology and sectoral reforms. Examples of development cooperation include training programmes for Georgian civil servants and young diplomats, educational opportunities for students, vocational education reform, strengthening public administration capacity, and projects related to EU visibility and communication. Today, Georgia is no longer one of Estonia’s development cooperation priority countries. Within the limits of available resources, we focus on smaller-scale projects that primarily support Georgian civil society and independent media.