Estonian cultural co-operation in general has two aims – to introduce Estonian culture abroad, and to bring international cultural life to Estonia. Culture is an essential part of Estonia´s international image and cultural diplomacy is becoming more and more important both in Europe and in the world at large.

The Ministry’s role on a national level is to create opportunities for open cultural international cooperation. The main principle of transnational cultural relations is to establish direct contacts and to facilitate co-operation. Approximately 100 Estonian professional cultural organisations are members of pan-European and world networks.

Bi- and multilateral co-operation agreements constitute just one means of international cultural co-operation. In general, agreements are developed in co-operation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but often also with the Ministry of Education and Research and respective partner organisations abroad. Estonia has contractual cultural relations with 33 countries as of January 2004, but negotiations are ongoing with several other countries. In addition to framework agreements, the Ministry has also concluded more concrete co-operation programmes or protocols with some countries.

In terms of the EU, the task of the Ministry is to co-ordinate participation in the decision-making process in questions that are under the remit of the Ministry of Culture and to ensure that Estonian interests in such areas as pan-European cultural co-operation, audiovisual policy, cultural heritage and copyright are presented and protected. Since 2001, Estonia has been participating in the European Community programme "Culture 2000". From 2001 to 2003, the support provided to Estonian cultural projects by the "Culture 2000" programme amounted to 1 million EUR.

Estonia has joined the foremost international organisations in the field of culture (UNESCO, the Council of Europe, WIPO, ICOM, Eurimage etc.) and participates actively in the work of these organisations. In view of this, Estonia is obliged to periodically provide overviews to committees of the respective organisations on compliance with the conventions that Estonia has joined. World-scale events in the recent past that brought international attention to Estonia included the addition of the Estonian song and dance festival tradition and the cultural space of the island Kihnu in UNESCO’s list of oral and intangible heritage. Estonia has also supported the adoption of several international agreements in UNESCO and in the Council of Europe. Estonia also participates in the Council of Europe’s compilation of national cultural policies.

With regard to regional cooperation forums, the following are noteworthy: the biennial Conference of the Ministers of the Baltic Sea Region, Ars Baltica, which is a forum for multilateral cultural cooperation within the Baltic Sea Region, the Cultural Committee of the Baltic Council of Ministers and the Nordic Dimension.

The Ministry of Culture also co-operates closely with Estonian embassies and honorary consuls all over the world and we have cultural attachés working in Berlin and at the Permanent Representation of Estonia to the EU in Brussels.
The Estonian Institute, an NGO mainly financed by the Ministry of Culture, has branch offices in Helsinki, Budapest, Stockholm and Paris.