Both countries are full members of the Council of the Baltic Sea States, European Union and NATO.

[citation needed] Between 1561 and 1721, Estonia was wholly or partially under Swedish rule.

[citation needed] On 4 February 1921, Sweden recognized the Republic of Estonia as an independent and sovereign state.

In 1945, Stockholm extradited to the Soviet Union around 170 Waffen-SS-soldiers from the Baltic countries that had fled the Red Army and found refuge in Sweden.

On 15 August 2011, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt officially offered an apology to the Prime Ministers of the Baltic states in a ceremony in Stockholm saying that "Sweden owes its Baltic neighbours a "debt of honour" for turning a blind eye to post-war Soviet occupation" and speaking of "a dark moment" in his country's history.