Tsahkna and his Israeli counterpart Gideon Sa’ar said during a joint press conference in the city ahead of the embassy’s official opening that they looked forward to strengthening ties between the two nations.

“Later today, we will officially open the Embassy of Israel in Tallinn,” said Tshakna.

“This is a moving day here in Tallinn,” said Sa’ar.

Estonia opened its embassy in Israel in 2009. Israel should have reciprocated a long time ago, said Sa’ar on Tuesday.

The embassy, he said at Tuesday’s press conference, “is a manifestation of our determination to strengthen relations between our countries at all levels, political, economic and people-to-people ties.”

Tsahkna thanked Sa’ar for carrying through on his promise to open the embassy, a pledge he made during a visit to Estonia four months ago. “For us, it means a lot, because [being]a very small country as we are, it is important to have a full-scale embassy here,” said Tsahkna.