While Lezhava might show off Georgian wine and shkmeruli (a delightful creamy garlic chicken dish), he cautions that relating to the audience is key.
“Half of my posts are about Japan and have nothing to do with Georgia,” he says. The main thing is to embrace local, everyday culture, use the language, travel outside the capital, and keep things informal – no one needs another tweet about the ambassador having the great honour to attend some summit and meet such-and-such official.
And it’s not just for countries with little to spend. The former US ambassador to Tokyo, Rahm Emanuel, put aside his sharp-elbowed reputation to take to social media trumpeting Japan’s charms, from trains to safe streets. (He also had no problems wading into politics, and would frequently troll Beijing – something which helped endear him to locals even if it ticked off the Joe Biden-led White House).
It’s a soft-power lever that many countries often overlook. Japan’s recently appointed ambassador to France, Hideo Suzuki, is among those paying attention, racking up over 2 million views on a post in French of him eating a sugar waffle. “One wonders whether he is the ambassador of Japan to France or the ambassador of France to France,” asked one user.
So diplomats, get yourself a plushie, a pint – and some enthusiasm for local produce. Modern diplomacy starts here.
