For a sitting head of state, Toomas Hendrik Ilves spends an awful lot of time on the internet. Most world leaders leave their online presence to aides, punctuated only by the occasional initialized platitude. The president of Estonia, however, spends hours a day reading, writing, and tweeting to his nearly 17,000 followers about issues ranging from European Union border controls to the latest Thomas Pynchon novel.

Russia declared an Estonian diplomat persona non grata two weeks after the Baltic nation’s prime minister visited the country for the first time. Franek Persidski, Estonia’s consul general in Russia’s second-biggest city of St. Petersburg, has returned home, Minna- Liina Lind, a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, said today in an e-mailed response to questions.

My job involves a high amount of communication with both internal and external actors from all spheres, thus consistent and thorough communication is an essential tool for good planning and successful organisation of activities. Although we primarily use a wide range of official communication tools, in the digital era, the input and coverage that can be reached via social media should by no means be neglected. The use of online instruments is gradually becoming an indispensable part of modern diplomacy.

People often get to know about another country's culture through its cuisine... During the Golden Week holiday, that's how nearly 50 people in Tokyo got to know more about the rich history of Estonia, learning how to make Estonian culinary delights.