The foreign relations of the Republic of Estonia are regulated by the Foreign Relations Act, which distinguishes between treaties and inter-agency treaties which both are written agreements. An inter-agency treaty is concluded on behalf of an institution, a treaty on behalf of the Republic of Estonia or the Government of the Republic.
Agreements in the field of education and research are mostly framework agreements in which parties indicate a desire to cooperate and affirm their good will and the desire to:
- support the creation of direct contacts between the educational and research institutions of both nations;
- exchange students, lecturers and educational experts and offer scholarships;
- to participate bilaterally in conferences, seminars and other educational events;
- to exchange publications and information about the education system, as well as the recognition of degrees and diplomas;
- to support a mutual learning of each other’s language and culture.
In the field of education and research Estonia has concluded bilateral agreements with the following countries:
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Brazil, Canada, China, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Egypt, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea (South), Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, the Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Scholarships
Pursuant to the agreements Estonia offers to the students and researchers of some countries scholarships and vice versa. Starting from the year 2015 the scholarships based on the international agreements are offered in the framework of the National Scholarship Programme for international students, researchers and academic staff. In Estonia, the Archimedes Foundation is responsible for technical coordination of scholarships.
