Editing Politics of Estonia (section)

===Foreign relations and international treaties===

{{main|Foreign relations of Estonia}}
Foreign relations are managed mainly by the Parliament, the Government of the Republic (including various ministries) and the President of the Republic, who mostly serves a representative role. The government can enter into international agreements and present them to the parliament for [[ratification]]. Agreements that are in conflict with the Constitution can not be ratified. One notable example of such a case was when Estonia decided to join the European Union, which required the amendment of the Constitution in order to ratify the Accession Treaty. The mandate for the amendment of the Constitution was gained through a [[2003 Estonian European Union membership referendum|public referendum]].<ref name=":25"/>

Estonia's main foreign policy goals are to maintain national security and stability of international relations, ensuring the functioning of Estonian economy, protecting citizens abroad, maintaining good influence and reputation, and promoting democracy, human rights, rule of law and economic freedom. To achieve these goals, Estonia has set its priorities on involvement and integration into the [[European Union]] and [[NATO]], and forming strong relations with countries that share its values, especially its close Baltic and Nordic neighbours. Baltic and Nordic cooperation is coordinated through such formats as: [[Baltic Council of Ministers]], [[Baltic Assembly]], [[Nordic-Baltic Eight]] (NB8), [[Council of the Baltic Sea States]] and [[Nordic Council of Ministers]]. Estonia is also a member of the [[UN]], [[OECD]], [[OSCE]] and [[WTO]], among others.<ref name=":26"/><ref name=":27"/>

Treaties can be initiated or concluded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Other ministries and the State Chancellery can make proposals on treaties to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which then reviews the proposals. If the submission meets requirements, the ministry can then send it to the Government of the Republic for approval. Ratification of treaties is performed by the parliament. The performance of treaties is guaranteed by the Government of the Republic. The procedures pertaining to foreign relations are described in the Foreign Relations Act.<ref name=":25"/>
After decades of [[Occupation of the Baltic states|Soviet occupation]], Estonia decided to re-establish its independence in 1991. Because the annexation of Estonia was never recognized, and on the basis of the historical continuity of statehood, the state inherited the full responsibility for the rights and obligations of the Republic of Estonia that existed before the occupation. This means, that multilateral treaties, which were approved before the occupation, were considered to be still in effect. Thus, Estonia has re-assumed its international obligations through the restoration of old treaties.<ref name=":28"/>