Ambassador
Short Biography of Ambassador Hannes Hanso
Hannes Hanso has served as Estonia’s Ambassador to the United States since August 2026.
Before assuming his current duties, Mr. Hanso was Estonian Ambassador to People’s Republic of China since 2022. Prior to becoming the Ambassador, Mr. Hanso worked at Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, served as a member of the European Parliament in 2019, and was Estonia’s Defense Minister from 2015 to 2016. He has also been the mayor of Kuressaare and a member of the XIII Riigikogu (Parliament of Estonia) and served as Chairman of the Riigikogu’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committees.
Between 2009 and 2011, Mr. Hanso worked at the representation of the European Union in China and Mongolia. From 2005 to 2007, he worked in the International Cooperation Department at the Ministry of Defence.
Mr. Hanso holds both Master’s (Asian Politics) and Bachelor’s (Politics and Development Studies) degrees from the London University School of Oriental and African Studies. In addition to Estonian and English, he speaks Mandarin, Russian and Swedish
Mr. Hanso was born on 6 October 1971 in Tartu, Estonia.
He is married to Mrs. Riina Hanso, and has seven children.