SMALL STATES, UNITE: Estonian diplomats are working aggressively to promote the country abroad, in countries deep in the heart of Africa.
TALLINN - Estonia has been brushing up on its geography with a flurry of diplomatic activity in an effort to reinvigorate its image abroad and establish new ties in the international arena.
Events range from the setting up of a new embassy and consulates to holding talks on naming consulates in smaller states.
Indeed, there is a noticeable undertone of "small states" running through the expansion of diplomatic ties. One of Europe's smallest countries, Estonia views itself as encountering similar difficulties, and the theme has run with new relations over the last few years.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lauri Martsulevits told The Baltic Times much frenetic ministry work was accomplished to muster together these new foreign friends.
"Estonia has definitely benefited from EU membership. However, getting Estonia 'on the map' is first of all the result of our own efforts," he said.
The most recent of these unitary events takes place on Feb. 7 with a visit of Prince Albert II of Monaco to Tallinn for the opening of the state's honorary consulate in the Nordic Hotel Forum.
The royalty last visited in 2002 for a charity football match against Estonian celebrities, which he lost. Juri Tamm, a business and politician as well as former Olympic hammer thrower, was named for the post of honorary consul last December.
Monaco's government counselor of external relations, Jean Pastorelli, will also attend the affair and sign a document along with Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet solidifying official relations.
Mediterranean ties were further illustrated on Feb. 1 when Cyprus Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcuollis traveled on an official visit to Tallinn. He announced that the small island republic will soon establish an embassy in Estonia to solidify cooperation in trade and tourism. The foreign ministers of both countries also discussed their common experiences in being EU border states dealing with migration.
On the previous day the first-ever ambassador to Estonia from Luxembourg, Jean Faltz, presented his credentials to President Toomas Hendrik Ilves. More talk took place of close trade and tourism ties while it was noted how the small Grand Duchy has shone as inspiration for Estonia as an EU lightweight.
Also, a meeting took place in Moscow between Estonian Ambassador Marina Kaljurand, who months earlier had been barricaded in her office by pro-Kremlin Nashi protesters, and the Yemen ambassador to Russia Mohammed al-Hilali. Diplomatic relations will be fully opened between the countries in the near future and the meeting was regarded as a first official step.
As a diplomatic underdog geographically far from the Middle East, Estonia's opinions on political Islam and relations with Muslim countries are often absent from media attention.
The new Cambodian ambassador also presented credentials to the president on the same day, although the post is non-residential and based in Moscow.
Martsulevits downplayed the relationship between Estonia's small geographical size and the flurry of diplomatic address book contacts with the same qualities.
The last two years have been a period in which Estonia drew political lines between itself and other somewhat geographically obscure countries. Official diplomatic ties were made with Equatorial Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Gabon, Liberia, Guayana and Dominca in 2007.
The year before, the list exploded with the extension of diplomatic ties to Brunei, Burkina Faso, Micronesia, Montenegro, Rwanda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Cameroon, the Seychelles, the United Arab Emirates and Congo.
Estonia currently has official diplomatic ties with a total of 157 states.
