Today, the President of the Republic will conclude his working visit to Germany. Yesterday, President Meri participated as the main speaker on the festive ceremony of the Hermann Ehlers Academy in Kiel, the capital of the state of Schleswig-Holstein, where the Hermann Ehlers Foundation delivered the Ehlers Award of the year 2000 to Roman Herzog, the former Federal President of Germany.

Yesterday, President Meri also conferred on Roman Herzog the I Class Order of the Cross of St. Mary's land in recognition of his services to the Republic of Estonia and the people of Estonia. When conferring the decoration on Roman Herzog, President Meri recalled Roman Herzog's contribution to the work of the Estonian Constitutional Assembly in 1991, as well as their many contacts since.

With Heide Simonis, the Premier of the State of Schleswig-Holstein, who hosted a lunch in honour of President Meri yesterday, the President discussed mutual relations and the roles of Germany and Estonia in the Baltic Sea space. Yesterday, President Meri also had meetings with the municipal leaders of Kiel – Cathy Kietzer, Chairman of the City Council, and Norbert Gansel, the Mayor of Kiel. President Meri and President Herzog also made an entry to the Golden Book of the City of Kiel.

The President of the Republic will return home this afternoon.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, March 20, 2001

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