Tallinn - Government ministries in the Baltic nation of Estonia threw their doors open to the public Wednesday as part of the country's celebrations to mark 90 years since it first declared independence.

Estonia prides itself on its open governance, frequently scoring well in international surveys for its low levels of corruption and high transparency of information.

But on Wednesday, designated "Citizens' Day," it took things one step further by inviting the general public through the hallowed portals of government.

All state ministries, plus the president's chancellery, were opened so that visitors could listen to lectures, view exhibitions, meet ministers and participate in debates.

Tallinn - Estonia faces a "challenging" couple of years ahead according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in its semi-annual Economic Outlook, released Tuesday in Paris.

Despite not being a full member of the OECD, Estonia is singled out for examination as a selected non-member country.

After more than a decade of rapid economic growth, the small Baltic nation is now in recession, but the OECD suggests growth will return in around a year's time.

Tallinn  - An effort by Estonian parliamentarians to lead by example and freeze their own salaries as part of a national austerity plan was wrecked Monday when President Toomas Hendrik Ilves refused to sign the relevant bill into law.

The proposals would have prevented MPs in Estonia receiving a pay rise from the start of 2009 until February 2010, and were passed almost unanimously last Wednesday by the Estonian parliament, the Riigikogu.

However, according to Ilves, the move was unconstitutional and therefore would not receive his backing, which is necessary for any bill to pass into law.

Tartu, Estonia  - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania on Friday discussed media topics including the establishment of a possible pan- Baltic television channel and defence of their airspace at a meeting of prime ministers of the three Baltic states held in the Estonian city of Tartu.

Estonia's Andrus Ansip, Latvia's Ivars Godmanis and Lithuania's acting prime minister Gediminas Kirkilas agreed to consider the idea of a common TV channel for the Baltic countries.

The idea was proposed by Kirkilas who is due to step down soon to make way for incoming prime minister Andrius Kubilius.

Tallinn  - Estonia's president, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, on Friday called on his countrymen to set aside ethnic differences in a speech in the capital, Tallinn.

"An ethnic Russian who is a resident of Estonia is not a priori the supporter of Russia's national policies, just as every Estonian is not automatically a supporter of the [Andrus] Ansip government. Citizens of democratic countries do not connect their love of country with the person of the prime minister or president who happens to be in power at the time," Ilves said.

Andrus Ansip is the current prime minister of Estonia.

Tallinn - NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer restated the military alliance's desire to see Ukraine join its ranks at a high-level conference being held in the Estonian capital, Tallinn, on Thursday.

In his opening speech, de Hoop Scheffer said the talks were taking place at a special moment in NATO-Ukraine relations.