The minister made his remarks on Wednesday, when his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand, was on an official visit to Tallinn.

The pair formally opened the enlarged embassy facility and were later joined by foreign ministry leaders from Latvia and Lithuania for a "3+1" Baltic states-Canada meeting.

Good to welcome Canadian Foreign Minister @AnitaAnandMP to Tallinn today.
The inauguration of Canada's Embassy in Estonia marks an important milestone, reflecting the strength and depth of our bilateral relations and our shared commitment to transatlantic security .

Estonia… pic.twitter.com/PSAldajnw7

— Margus Tsahkna (@Tsahkna) May 20, 2026

"The official opening of the Canadian embassy in Tallinn is a clear sign of the strength and closeness of relations between Estonia and Canada. It is also very welcome that the foreign ministers of the Baltic states and Canada are meeting in this format for the fourth time already. This demonstrates the continuity and growing importance of our close cooperation," Tsahkna said of the event.

Canada is an important transatlantic partner for Estonia and the wider region, a country whose contribution to regional security is significant, he added. "We greatly value Canada's leadership on NATO's eastern flank, its presence in Latvia, and Canada's long-standing and unwavering support for Ukraine," he noted.

"Canada's contribution to security in our region also directly supports economic security. This is also demonstrated by the magnet factory opened in Narva last autumn by the Canadian company Neo Performance Materials. Estonia is committed to supporting Neo's operations in Estonia," Tsahkna continued, via a press release.

The foreign minister also praised Canada's unwavering support for Ukraine. "Canada's leadership in providing military, economic and humanitarian assistance and development cooperation, implementing sanctions, and participating in the Coalition of the Willing has been significant."

Tsahkna also commended Foreign Minister Anand for her leadership role in the international coalition addressing the issue of children deported from Ukraine to Russia.

The 3+1 meeting also addressed Russia's continued aggression against Ukraine and the need to increase pressure on Moscow, at a time when Russia had accused all three Baltic states of colluding in Ukrainian drone strikes on its infrastructure. "Russia remains the most direct and serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security. Therefore, we must continue to increase pressure on Russia, including through tougher sanctions," Tsahkna went on.

He added that Estonia is working within the EU toward imposing a full ban on maritime services related to Russian energy exports. The foreign minister also stressed the need to continue action against Russia's shadow fleet. "We must target both the shadow fleet itself as well as the broader ecosystem and states supporting it. We highly value the excellent cooperation within the G7/NB8++ shadow fleet task force established under Canada's leadership," he continued.

The four countries' representatives also discussed Russia's global propaganda and malign influence activities, as well as ways to counter them.

Tsahkna also highlighted Estonia's initiative to impose EU-wide entry bans on former Russian combatants. "We are convinced that they pose a long-term security risk if they are able to move freely within Europe. We encourage partners, including Canada, to consider joining this initiative."

Tsahkna and Anand also recognized the active role of the Estonian community in Canada in supporting relations between the two countries and peoples over the decades and into the future.

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys and Latvian Deputy Foreign Minister Artjoms Urulskis were also in Tallinn for the 3+1 meeting, whose joint press conference can be viewed here.

Canada is the lead nation in the multinational NATO battlegroup based in Latvia.

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