1991   Latvia and Estonia gain independence and are no longer part of the Soviet Union.

1991   Collapse of the Soviet Union: Latvia breaks free from the Soviet Union and declares its independence.

1991   The United States that had never recognized the occupation of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania by the Soviet Union recognizes the independence of the three Baltic states.

1998   Nineteen European nations sign an agreement to prohibit human cloning including: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Moldova, Norway, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Turkey.

2004   Seven nations are allowed to join NATO including Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia into the organization

2004   Ten nations are added to the European Union including Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, Malta and Cyprus. The expansion is the largest expansion to date.