President Lennart Meri received the representatives of Estonian Export Council in Kadriorg today. The representatives of Estonian Export Council conferred the title of the Friend of Estonian Export on the President of the Republic. When handing over the prize, the Chairman of the Council of the Estonian Export Council Andres Tamm said that when choosing the Friend of Estonian Export 2000, they above all considered the contribution of the President of the Republic to the creation of Estonia's positive image, which is very important from the viewpoint of export, and also helps to attract foreign investments fostering export.

When accepting the prize, the President expressed his hope that the businessmen would understand that we will also have to struggle in the future to maintain the markets we have today, as competition is close in the world economy and especially in trade. The President emphasised the importance of active co-operation between the state, the enterprises and the non-profit organisations.

The conversation following the delivery of the prize, where also the Minister of Economy Mihkel Pärnoja, and Aare Puur, Chairman of the Board of Estonian Export Council, were present, focused on the need for co-operation between various organisations promoting export. The importance of education was also stressed, as it is necessary to know the habits of different countries and consumers, as well as psychology and many other disciplines in order to discover new markets and new products.

Estonian Export Council is a non-profit organisation founded in 1992, uniting legal bodies and private individuals interested in promoting export, open for participation to all enterprises registered in Estonia. The Friend of Estonian Export President Lennart Meri also received a gift – a glass sculpture of Hermes, the Greek god of trade, by the artist Eino Mäelt.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, January 31, 2001

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