Thread by @atLakeNATO

YOU VOTE - I MAKE A THREAD results are in, and I am talking about Estonia's long relationship with Finland.
It's going to be a long and partly personal thread.

Those two countries are not only close neighbors, but are strongly connected and can be called cousins if you like such a comparison. There are only two independent Finnic nation-states in the world, and they are Finland and Estonia.

Finnish and Estonian, were the same language (Late Proto Finnic) around 2000 years ago, but have grown apart since then. We love to laugh about it how our Estonian mold "hallitus" is "government" in Finnish.

Both countries became independent at the beginning of the XX century - less than 3 months apart from each other - it was 6.12.1917 for Finland and 24.02.1918 for Estonia. Cousins on their fight for freedom, so to say.

Approximately 2,000 Finnish volunteers, called the Sons of the North (Põhja pojad in Estonian, Pohjan pojat in Finnish), fought under the command of Estonian Hans Kalm in the Estonian War of Independence.

Not so well-known fact - before WW2, Estonia was RICHER than Finland. But then the Russians came and stayed for 50 years in Estonia. Finland stayed independent and was sort of a bridge to the Western world for occupied Estonia.

Among many positive things we share (sauna, the melody for the anthem, ice roads, driving skills, being called emotionless introverts 😎), there is one that brought us closer to each other than no one ever could - our common neighbor

🗑️🇷🇺.

It always wanted us back.

🇪🇪🇫🇮 defence cooperation began in 1930 with a secret military pact between 🇫🇮 and 🇪🇪 against the threat of the Soviet Union. Open cooperation ended in 1939, as the Soviets pressured the Estonian government, but it continued secretly with information-sharing during the Winter War.

The defense cooperation aimed to prevent access by Soviet vessels through the Gulf to Helsinki and Tallinn using mines, coastal artillery fire, and submarines. Wait... Estonia and Finland had submarines? Yes, Lembit 🇪🇪 and Vesikko 🇫🇮still exist and are accessible to the public.

The Finnish–Estonian defence pact remained secret for decades and did not come to light until the Estonian and Russian archives were opened in the 1990s. Finnish archives on the matter had been transported outside the country or destroyed after the Continuation War.

Estonian volunteers went to Finland to join the fight against the Soviet Union in the Continuation War in 1943. Finnish Field Marshal Mannerheim ordered the formation of Estonian volunteer regiment Infantry Regiment 200, which consisted of 1,973 Estonians and 361 Finns.

It was then announced that JR 200 or "Finnish boys" would be disbanded and that the volunteers were free to return home. As soon as they landed, the regiment was sent to perform a counter-attack against the Soviet 3rd Baltic Front, which was threatening the capital Tallinn.

As you know, WW2 ended differently for Finland and Estonia. Finland stayed free, and Estonia was occupied for more than 45 years. The coastal line of Estonia and all the islands became closed military zones, and radio signals were muted. Estonia fell behind the Iron Curtain.

But in 1965 Vanemuine made it's first trip on Tallinnn-Helsinki-Tallinn reopened route. It was all made possible thanks to former Finnish President Urho Kalevi Kekkonen, who was allowed to visit Estonia in 1964. White ship (symbol of hope in Estonian folklore) has arrived.

In 1971, the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) built a new TV-mast in Espoo. It transmitted Finnish TV broadcasts to northern Estonia and as a result, watching Finnish television became a part of everyday life in Northern Estonia during the last decades of Soviet occupation.

As Estonia regained its independence in 1991, the Iron Curtain was no more and the border opened again. Estonia was free and eager to catch up on the time lost in occupation. Finland was in a forced position of neutrality called Finlandization.

Finlandization is not neutrality, and it never was. It's literally "in taking steps, ALWAYS remember what Russia will think of it". Former Finnish president Tarja Halonen was not happy the Baltics joined NATO. But the Former Finnish president is not the whole of Finland.

The Helsinki-to-Tallinn Tunnel is a proposed undersea tunnel that would span the Gulf of Finland and connect the Finnish and Estonian capitals by train.[1] The tunnel's length would depend upon the route taken: the shortest distance across would have a submarine length of 50 km.

On 26 April 2021 the governments of Estonia and Finland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on mutual cooperation in the transport sector, including large-scale transport projects, such as the Helsinki-Tallinn railway tunnel. MoU is in force until 2030.

According to the latest study, 75% of Finns have visited Estonia at least once in their lifetime. In the year 2023 both countries have the same currency, are part of the Schengen treaty, and therefore traveling between those states for EU citizens only requires buying a ticket.

As Finland is soon to be a full NATO member, we can say that the era of finalization is over for our northern neighbor and the relationship with Estonia will only grow stronger as there are only two Finnic nations who managed to create sovereign countries.

I stopped counting how many times I visited Finland, both for work and leisure. To visit a construction site or to swim in Allas, to visit a friend or Joulupukki, to ride a snowmobile or a husky sled, to grab a snack at ABC, or dine at Kapelli. I always enjoy it. On Suomenlinna⬇️

A picture I made at Lasipalatsinaukio, Helsinki in 2018. Hangs on my kitchen wall.

When I entered Tallinn University in 2001, I passed the competition for both philologies - Finnish and Estonian. But only in Estonian I could study on state-funded program. As a broke student from single parent family, my choice was obvious.