According to the ambassador, both Estonia and Russia can be happy with the cooperation of the countries' regions along the border. There were other areas where there was potential for the same, Petrov said, and the new year will bring opportunities to increase cooperation between the two countries. Russia is "ready" to continue with this, the ambassador said.

The significantly higher number of tourists moving between the two countries confirmed that there was a lively interest in one another, Petrov said. The number of Russian tourists visiting Estonia increased by 20 percent in 2017, and a similar development has been registered in the other direction as well, as Russia's popularity with Estonians as a holiday destination has increased.

During the course of the year, there had been a whole number of events that proved that there was also a lively mutual interest in each other's culture, arts, and intellectual world, the ambassador said. Examples for this were the Golden Mask (Kuldne Mask) theatre festival, and the Bridge of Friendship (Sõpruse Sild) culture festival.

Petrov stressed that the challenges of the world could only be dealt with with everyone working together, and expressed his with that Estonia and Russia would face these challenges together, finding common ground in their understanding of global worries, and in countering them as well.