The lunch, a traditional, annual affair, took place at the Jaan Poska house in the Kadriorg district of Tallinn, and was attended by Liimets' immediate predecessor, Urmas Reinsalu, as well as Siim Kallas, Rein Lang, Riivo Sininjärv and Trivimi Velliste (see gallery above).

The foreign ministry's secretary general, Jonatan Vseviov, was also in attendance.

Wednesday is a flag day in Estonia, with events taking place nationwide and in particular in Tartu, where the treaty was signed on February 2 1920.

The treaty followed the Estonian War of Independence which had started in 1918 and established the independent Estonian state and its recognition by the fledgling Soviet Russian state, itself still in the throes of a vast in scope, brutal civil war at the time.

The treaty paved the way for Estonia's recognition as a sovereign state internationally, following the ratification of the treaty on March 30 1920.

Estonia lost its independence to the Soviet Union in 1940, only finally reestablishing it in August 1991.

The current border lies somewhat to the west of the Treaty of Tartu demarcation, which has acted as a disincentive to erect a substantive, permanent border infrastructure, particularly in the southeast of the country.

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