This morning, the Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and Mrs. Alma Adamkiene started their state visit to Estonia. On the welcoming ceremony at 10 AM in front of the Kadriorg Palace the company of honour was lined up and Lieutenant Rene Brus reported to the President of Lithuania. The national anthems of Lithuania and Estonia were played, and the Presidents inspected the guard of honour. The members of the Estonian Government, as well as members of the two delegations, were introduced to the Presidents and their spouses.

Before the tete-a-tete meeting of the Presidents, President Meri conferred on the Lithuanian President the Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the Cross of St. Mary's Land. Also, the Lithuanian presidential couple was presented the carpet ''Flow'' by Helen Kauksi.

As President Meri said, he is very glad to receive the Lithuanian President and his accompanying delegation in Estonia. President Meri also said that in his opinion, the Baltic co-operation was especially powerful at the time when we had a common enemy, the Soviet occupation. The relations remain strong while there are solidarity and co-operation. It is necessary to give attention to the common features, President Meri mentioned. As he said, the ties between the three countries will be further strengthened by the objectives of accession to the EU and NATO, as the language and cultural ties between Estonia and Lithuania are relatively remote. As President Meri said, the accession to EU can not be viewed as a sports contest, where the winner gets the gold medal and the one coming is second is the first loser.

As President Adamkus said, the state visit to Estonia is very important. As he said, the visit should bring the two nations closer, as Estonians and Lithuanians know too little of each other despite the excellent relations between the two countries. According to Adamkus, it is important that also a large business delegation has arrived from Lithuania in order to establish closer relations.

On the meeting of the Presidents and the delegations the completion of the Via Baltica, which would considerably support the idea of the Northern Dimension, was discussed as well as relations with Latvia. President Adamkus hoped that Estonia would share the experience of the EU accession negotiations with Lithuanian colleagues when Lithuania too joined the negotiations. In the EU accession, as well as in accession to NATO, it is not important who will be there first, but it is important for all three Baltic States to support each other.

From Kadriorg, President Adamkus went to the School of Sciences to lay a wreath to the memorial of the schoolchildren and teachers who fought in the War of Liberty. Mrs. Helle Meri and Mrs. Alma Adamkiene will visit the St. Catherine's Guild in Old Town and the SOS-Kindersdorf in Keila.


Press Service of the Office of the President
Kadriorg, October 4, 1999

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