Estonian envoy says Middle East expertise takes more than a year

Estonia’s ambassador to Israel, Andres Vosman, says even years of experience would not be enough to become a Middle East expert, ERR reported. Vosman took up the post in September 2025 and said his first ten months had shown him how complex and multifaceted the region is.

Much of his first year has been spent in meetings, reading and learning about Israeli society.

Although Israel’s recent years have been difficult, Vosman said the war had not fundamentally changed the work of a diplomat. A diplomat must understand what is happening in the host country, explain it to their capital and represent Estonia’s positions, he said.

The conflict has nevertheless affected daily life. During the conflict with Iran, normal social activity largely stopped and many meetings moved online. Vosman said neither he nor his family had ever felt in direct danger.

“It is very difficult for foreign diplomats in the host country to change reality. That is somewhat frustrating,” he said.

Vosman said Israel’s early warning system had impressed him most. During missile attacks, warnings can reportedly be issued with the precision of a district or neighbourhood, while people follow the authorities’ instructions in a highly disciplined manner. In his view, Estonia could learn a great deal from the system.

He said Israel often appears from the outside to be a unified country, but Israeli society in reality contains a wide range of views. During the period when he arrived, Tel Aviv also saw daily demonstrations both against the war and against the government.

“When I am there, I do not see this kind of black-and-white reflection of Israel. There are many opinions,” Vosman said.

Speaking about the war in Gaza, Vosman said European countries, including Estonia, consider a two-state solution a prerequisite for lasting peace. Support for the idea has declined significantly in Israeli society since Hamas’s 2023 attack.

“As a prerequisite for lasting peace, it seems to be the only possible option, but the road there does not yet appear to be very short,” he said. “I have not heard of a very realistic and credible alternative to a two-state solution.”

Estonia has a positive image

According to Vosman, Israel primarily knows Estonia as a digital state, a NATO ally and a neighbour of Russia. He said he had not encountered negative historical associations in his work.

He also considers it important to recall the history of Estonia’s Jewish community. This year marks 100 years since Jewish cultural autonomy was established in Estonia, which was an exceptional step in the world at the time.

“Estonia was the first country to grant such extensive autonomy to the Jewish community of that time,” Vosman said, adding that this is often not known in Israel and that he considers it important to raise the issue in meetings.

Before becoming ambassador, Vosman worked for years in the foreign intelligence service and also served at Estonian missions in Brussels and Washington.

He said the need to understand events in Israel had not diminished. This involves numerous meetings with former military personnel, security experts, think tank representatives and journalists to build as comprehensive a picture as possible of what is happening in the country.

Vosman added that he often takes the opportunity to meet people over coffee simply to ask about their mood and assessments. He stressed that this was not intelligence work.

“This is absolutely not classic intelligence diplomacy. I am a pure diplomat today,” he said.