Witold Waszczykowski’s public diplomacy seeks to explain Poland’s new government to critical world. Witold Waszczykowski, the foreign minister, sought to address concerns voiced in Brussels about judicial independence and media freedom and to win over Berlin and London.

He suggested that the case could even be made that to travel is to do service for one's country. Travel and tourism, Whittingdale said, are a form of "soft power. Security is boosted by "greater understanding between countries," he observed. "The more people take advantage of the opportunity to visit other countries, and the more that [citizens of other countries] have exposure to visitors, that is a huge contribution."

The Chief promoter of Olokun Festival Foundation, Otunba Gani Adams said: “I must confess that this is the first heart cheering and soul lifting policy statement concerning cultural tourism which ever emanated from this government and communicated to the people via a cultural event [...]  It seems there is now a clear vision and direction for cultural tourism promotion of Nigeria not only as an entertainment factor but as an employment generating machine, wealth mobilizer and poverty extinguisher.

China has been the kingdom’s largest customer as well as a provider of sophisticated weapons, including surface-to-surface missiles. But China also has lost patience with the monarchy’s support for Wahhabi Islamists in China and bordering countries. [...] More pertinent than public diplomacy, though, is where China is buying its oil.

After efforts to remold security policy and gain traction in diplomacy toward Asia and dealing with wartime history disputes in 2015, Japanese policymakers face even greater challenges on the international stage in the coming year.

Queen Elizabeth II, who turns 90 in April, carried out 306 engagements in Britain last year, a tally in The Times newspaper showed Friday. The queen, who became Britain’s longest serving monarch in September after more than 63 years, also conducted 35 engagements abroad, having paid state visits to Germany and Malta.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's drop-by diplomacy in Lahore has set a new paradigm in summitry: doing away with sherpas. It is designed to catalyse the peace process, grounded over ego and who sets the agenda.