“Narva is next.” That short sentence encapsulates Western scaremongering and the pernicious recycling of Kremlin talking points about the Baltic states’ supposed vulnerability.
The Estonian foreign ministry has pushed back, with a snappy 30-second video highlighting the eastern frontier city’s attractions and urging people to make it their “next” tourism destination.
Also catching the headlines is a new survey by Rumavi, a Singapore-based advisory group, which says that Estonia is the best place in the world to relocate to, closely followed by Lithuania. The Czech Republic is also in the top ten, along with Taiwan.
The survey ranks countries on 24 topics including public administration, tax-friendliness, comfort and healthcare, all from the point of view of different categories such as digital nomads, retired people and entrepreneurs.
Precise rankings in these surveys should not be taken too seriously, not least because a tiny difference in the score has a big effect (Lithuania, in sixth place, is only two points ahead of Latvia, in 19th place; the real conclusion is that all three Baltic states are great places to live).
