Early in 1989 a group from Gotland visited Saaremaa. As a result a cooperation agreement was signed, the first one between a place in Estonia and a Swedish municipality. Laine Tarvis and Eric Carlsson, the two politicians who signed the agreement, are both present at the anniversary in Visby the 17 October 2009. During those 20 years a continuous stream of chess players, businessmen, chorus-singers, youngsters, hand-weavers, teachers, SPA-tourists, farmers and many many others have crossed the Baltic Sea and thus strengthened the bond between the islanders of Gotland and Saaremaa.

Today politicians and officials from the two islands meet on a regular basis in the B7 network and the people to people contacts flourish.