The New York Times has profiled an Estonian diplomat who is tasked with spreading the country’s message and his “unique approach to trans-Atlantic diplomacy.”
The U.S. newspaper wrote that Congressional Liaison Officer Karl-Gerhard Lille is well known for wearing an “American flag blazer and a matching bow tie” and is often “armed with a pocketful of Estonian candy and endless fun facts about his nation’s close ties to the United States.”
Lille, who is based at the Estonian Embassy in Washington, has a “unique approach to trans-Atlantic diplomacy,” the New York Times said, which is coming in useful “when Europe has struggled to court the Trump administration.”
“Mr. Lille spends his days on Capitol Hill trying to make new friends for his country,” the newspaper reports.
His efforts are bearing fruit. During his time in Washington, he has “helped recruit more than 70 representatives and about a dozen senators to the Baltic Caucus.”
The 33-year-old University of Tartu graduate said his goal is to personally tell each of the 535 congressional offices: “Hey, we [Estonia] exist. We’re kind of cool. Be our friend, because we’re your friend.”
Estonia’s U.S. Ambassador Kristjan Prikk told the New York Times: “Whenever I meet people from the Hill, there is someone who tells me not only that they know Karl, but they love Karl.”
“If we had more Karls in this world, this world would be better,” said Mark Dreiling, the chief of staff to Representative Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska.
“This guy is single-handedly holding together U.S.-Estonia relations,” John Lynch, an aide to Representative Jim Costa, Democrat of California, joked.
In November, Lille was honored by the Ministry of Defense for his “outstanding work in promoting Estonia’s defense policy interests in the U.S. Congress.”
—
Follow ERR News on Facebook and Twitter and never miss an update!